Cairo

/ˈkaɪ.ɹoʊ/

//ˈkaɪ.ɹoʊ// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"cairo" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Cairo” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,021 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#9,021
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The capital city of Egypt.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Cairo vs car
40% similar
Cairo vs Cao
60% similar
Cairo vs CRO
20% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Cairo
PropertyValue
HeadwordCairo
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈkaɪ.ɹoʊ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,021
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Cairo” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Cairo lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Cairo is 5 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkaɪ.ɹoʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,021 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for Cairo, with forms such as "aciro", "caior", and "cairro". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "car", "Cao", "CRO", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian Il Cairo, from Arabic الْقَاهِرَة (al-qāhira) The correct English form is Cairo, spelled C-A-I-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    The capital city of Egypt.
  2. 2
    A governorate of Egypt, containing the capital city.
  3. 3
    Several places in the United States:
  4. 4
    Several places in the United States:
  5. 5
    Several places in the United States:
  6. 6
    Several places in the United States:
  7. 7
    Several places in the United States:
  8. 8
    Several places in the United States:
  9. 9
    Several places in the United States:
  10. 10
    Several places in the United States:
  11. 11
    Several places in the United States:
  12. 12
    Several places in the United States:
  13. 13
    Several places in the United States:
  14. 14
    Several places in the United States:
  15. 15
    Several places in the United States:
  16. 16
    Several places in the United States:
  17. 17
    A community in the township of Dawn-Euphemia, Ontario, Canada.

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian Il Cairo, from Arabic الْقَاهِرَة (al-qāhira)

Synonyms

FustatFostat

This word in other languages

El Cairo(Español)Le Caire(Français)Kairo(Deutsch)Cairo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: aciro,caior,cairro,cario,ccairo,ciaro

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Cairo - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

aciro2caior2cairro1cario2ccairo1ciaro2
Edit distance from "Cairo"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Cairo"?
"Cairo" is spelled C-A-I-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkaɪ.ɹoʊ/.
What does "Cairo" mean?
As a proper noun, "Cairo" means: The capital city of Egypt.
What words are commonly confused with "Cairo"?
"Cairo" is commonly confused with "car", "Cao", "CRO". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Cairo"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Cairo" is /ˈkaɪ.ɹoʊ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Cairo"?
Borrowed from Italian Il Cairo, from Arabic الْقَاهِرَة (al-qāhira) See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Cairo”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-I-R-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkaɪ.ɹoʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “car” - see the side-by-side comparison. Cairo vs car
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list