candidate

/ˈkæn.dɪdət/

//ˈkæn.dɪdət// noun

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

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

The verdict

“candidate” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,193 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,193
frequency rank, English
9
letters
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person who seeks to be elected or appointed to a position or privilege.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

candidate vs candida
78% similar
candidate vs candidacy
78% similar

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

Key facts for candidate
PropertyValue
Headwordcandidate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæn.dɪdət/
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,193
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “candidate” 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). candidate 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 candidate is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkæn.dɪdət/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,193 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for candidate, with forms such as "acndidate", "cadnidate", and "canddiate". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "candida", "candidacy", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin candidātus (“a person who is standing for public office”, noun), from candidus (“dazzling white, shining, clear”) + -ātus, -āta, -ātum (participial adjective-forming suffix), in reference to Roman candidates wearing bleached white togas as a symb… The correct English form is candidate, spelled C-A-N-D-I-D-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who seeks to be elected or appointed to a position or privilege.
  2. 2
    A person who is thought likely or worthy to gain a position or privilege.
  3. 3
    A participant in an examination.
  4. 4
    Someone or something likely or suited to undergo or be chosen for a purpose.
  5. 5
    A student taking a degree who has finished the coursework but has other remaining requirements such as a dissertation.
  6. 6
    The recipient of certain academic degrees, now mainly awarded in Scandinavia.
  7. 7
    A gene which may play a role in a given disease.

Etymology

From Latin candidātus (“a person who is standing for public office”, noun), from candidus (“dazzling white, shining, clear”) + -ātus, -āta, -ātum (participial adjective-forming suffix), in reference to Roman candidates wearing bleached white togas as a symbol of purity at a public forum. By surface analysis, candid + -ate (noun-forming suffix).

This word in other languages

candidato(Español)candidat(Français)Kandidat(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acndidate,cadnidate,canddiate,canddidate,candiadte,candidaet,candidatte,candiddate,candidtae,caniddate,canndidate,ccandidate,cnadidate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of candidate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acndidate2cadnidate2canddiate2canddidate1candiadte2candidaet2candidatte1candiddate1
Edit distance from "candidate"

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 "candidate"?
"candidate" is spelled C-A-N-D-I-D-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæn.dɪdət/.
What does "candidate" mean?
As a noun, "candidate" means: A person who seeks to be elected or appointed to a position or privilege.
What words are commonly confused with "candidate"?
"candidate" is commonly confused with "candida", "candidacy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "candidate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "candidate" is /ˈkæn.dɪdət/. 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 "candidate"?
From Latin candidātus (“a person who is standing for public office”, noun), from candidus (“dazzling white, shining, clear”) + -ātus, -āta, -ātum (participial adjective-forming suffix), in reference to Roman candidates wearing bleached white togas... 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 “candidate”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-N-D-I-D-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkæn.dɪdət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “candida” - see the side-by-side comparison. candidate vs candida
  • 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