# candidate

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkæn.dɪdət/ · frequency rank #2,193

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

## Easily confused with
- **candida** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/candida-vs-candidate)
- **candidacy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/candidacy-vs-candidate)

## Common misspellings (13)
`acndidate`, `cadnidate`, `canddiate`, `canddidate`, `candiadte`, `candidaet`, `candidatte`, `candiddate`, `candidtae`, `caniddate`, `canndidate`, `ccandidate`, `cnadidate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/candidate