Cambridge

/ˈkeɪm.bɹɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈkeɪm.bɹɪd͡ʒ// name

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

"cambridge" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Cambridge” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,675. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,675
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A city and local government district with borough status of Cambridgeshire, England, famous for its university.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cambridge · Cambridge · English

Cambridge · rank #3,675 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,675
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH bye

Nearest frequency peer: bye (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “Cambridge”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “Cambridge” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Cambridge vs cartridge
67% similar

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

Key facts for Cambridge
PropertyValue
HeadwordCambridge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈkeɪm.bɹɪd͡ʒ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,675
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Cambridge”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).Cambridgelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “bye” (#3,674), “citizen” (#3,676), “broadcast” (#3,673). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “Cambridge” is #3,675. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around Cambridge (IPA /ˈkeɪm.bɹɪd͡ʒ/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #3,675 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for Cambridge, with forms such as "acmbridge", "cabmridge", and "cambbridge". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "cartridge", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Cantebrigge, Grentebrige, from Old English Grante bryċġ, Granta-briċġ, Grantanbryċġ (“Granta bridge”). The river name Granta is probably of Celtic origin. By Middle English when the name of the settlement had changed to "Cantebrigge" and… The correct English form is Cambridge, spelled C-A-M-B-R-I-D-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A city and local government district with borough status of Cambridgeshire, England, famous for its university.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of University of Cambridge.
  3. 3
    A village in Slimbridge parish, Stroud district, Gloucestershire, England, situated on the local River Cam (OS grid ref SO7403).
  4. 4
    A city in Washington County, Idaho, United States.
  5. 5
    A village, the county seat of Henry County, Illinois, United States.
  6. 6
    A city, the county seat of Dorchester County, Maryland, United States.
  7. 7
    A city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, famous for being the location of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It was formerly one of the county seats.
  8. 8
    A city, the county seat of Isanti County, Minnesota, United States.
  9. 9
    A city, the county seat of Guernsey County, Ohio, United States.
  10. 10
    A town and village in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States.
  11. 11
    A city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
  12. 12
    A local government area (the Town of Cambridge) in Perth, Western Australia.
  13. 13
    A suburb of the City of Clarence, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
  14. 14
    A town in Waikato, New Zealand.
  15. 15
    A royal dukedom.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Cambridge appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He went to Cambridge, you know.
  2. Scientists believe that the sex ratio is equal at conception, explained Steven Orzack, president and senior research scientist of the Fresh Pond Research Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Etymology

From Middle English Cantebrigge, Grentebrige, from Old English Grante bryċġ, Granta-briċġ, Grantanbryċġ (“Granta bridge”). The river name Granta is probably of Celtic origin. By Middle English when the name of the settlement had changed to "Cantebrigge" and eventually "Cambridge", the lower stretches of the River Granta were renamed Cam by back-formation from Cambridge.

This word in other languages

Cambridge(Español)Cambridge(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acmbridge
  • cabmridge
  • cambbridge
  • cambirdge
  • cambrdige
  • cambriddge
  • cambrideg
  • cambridgge
  • cambrigde
  • cambrridge
  • cammbridge
  • camrbidge
  • ccambridge
  • cmabridge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Cambridge - 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.

acmbridge2cabmridge2cambbridge1cambirdge2cambrdige2cambriddge1cambrideg2cambridgge1
Edit distance from "Cambridge"

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 "Cambridge"?
"Cambridge" is spelled C-A-M-B-R-I-D-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkeɪm.bɹɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "Cambridge" mean?
As a proper noun, "Cambridge" means: A city and local government district with borough status of Cambridgeshire, England, famous for its university.
What words are commonly confused with "Cambridge"?
"Cambridge" is commonly confused with "cartridge". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Cambridge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Cambridge" is /ˈkeɪm.bɹɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "Cambridge"?
From Middle English Cantebrigge, Grentebrige, from Old English Grante bryċġ, Granta-briċġ, Grantanbryċġ (“Granta bridge”). The river name Granta is probably of Celtic origin. By Middle English when the name of the settlement had changed to "Canteb... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Cambridge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

broadcast#3,673associate#3,668spiritual#3,656narrative#3,706

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

ownership14 variantsoccasionally14 variantsreduction14 variantsdescribes14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list