# cannibal

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkænɪbəl/ · frequency rank #27,083

## Definitions
1. An organism which eats others of its own or similar species or kind, especially a human or other human-like creature such as a zombie who consumes human flesh.
2. Ellipsis of cannibal boat.

## Etymology
Etymology tree
Proto-Cariban *kariponader.
Spanish caribeder.
Spanish caríbalder.
Spanish caníbalbor.
English cannibal
Borrowed from Spanish caníbal, from Taíno caniba, the Taíno form recorded by Christopher Columbus for the Caribs, who were greatly feared. From an Arawak language, probably Taíno, and ultimately from Proto-Cariban *karipona (“person”). Doublet of Carib, caribe, Garifuna, Carijona, Kari'na, and Caribbean.

## Easily confused with
- **carnival** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cannibal-vs-carnival)
- **canonical** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cannibal-vs-canonical)

## Common misspellings (10)
`acnnibal`, `canibal`, `caninbal`, `cannbial`, `canniabl`, `canniball`, `cannibbal`, `cannibla`, `ccannibal`, `cnanibal`

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