Caliban

/ˈkælɪbæn/

//ˈkælɪbæn// name

"caliban" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Caliban” is uncommon English (frequency #61,342 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,342
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A moon of Uranus.

Key facts for Caliban
PropertyValue
HeadwordCaliban
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈkælɪbæn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#61,342
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Caliban” 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). Caliban lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

Caliban is uncommon English at frequency #61,342 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as aproper noun, transcribed /ˈkælɪbæn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A moon of Uranus.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Caliban, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: After Caliban, a character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. The correct English form is Caliban, spelled C-A-L-I-B-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A moon of Uranus.

Etymology

After Caliban, a character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest.

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 "Caliban"?
"Caliban" is spelled C-A-L-I-B-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkælɪbæn/.
What does "Caliban" mean?
As a proper noun, "Caliban" means: A moon of Uranus.
How do you pronounce "Caliban"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Caliban" is /ˈkælɪbæn/. 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 "Caliban"?
After Caliban, a character in Shakespeare's play The Tempest. 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 “Caliban”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-L-I-B-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkælɪbæn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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