cantilever

/ˈkantɪliːvə/

//ˈkantɪliːvə// noun

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

"cantilever" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cantilever” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,604. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,604
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A beam anchored at one end and projecting into space, such as a long bracket projecting from a wall to support a balcony.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cantilever · cantilever · English

cantilever · rank #40,604 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,604
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH canter

Nearest frequency peer: canter (-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 “cantilever”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cantilever” 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
Key facts for cantilever
PropertyValue
Headwordcantilever
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkantɪliːvə/
Letters10
Frequency rank#40,604
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cantilever”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cantileverlands 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 “canter” (#40,603), “caressing” (#40,605), “campion” (#40,602). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cantilever” is #40,604. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around cantilever (IPA /ˈkantɪliːvə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,604 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for cantilever, with forms such as "acntilever", "canitlever", and "canntilever". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in the 1660s, probably from cant (“slope, edge, corner”) + lever, but the earliest form (c. 1610) was cantlapper. First element may also be Spanish can (“dog”), an architect's term for an end of timber jutting out of a wall, on which beams re… The correct English form is cantilever, spelled C-A-N-T-I-L-E-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A beam anchored at one end and projecting into space, such as a long bracket projecting from a wall to support a balcony.
  2. 2
    A beam anchored at one end and used as a lever within a microelectromechanical system.
  3. 3
    A technique, similar to the spread eagle, in which the skater travels along a deep edge with knees bent and bends their back backwards, parallel to the ice.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Eventually Sir John Fowler's and Sir Benjamin Baker's continuous steel girder bridge on the cantilever principle was adopted.
  2. He loved Litchfield, Sharon, Williamsburg; he preferred the Georgian, and he had theories about developing a truly American style. He was called a plodder by all the Kivis, and in turn he disliked their bleak blocks of Modernist cement, their glass-fronted hen-houses, their architectural spiders with cantilever claws.

Etymology

First attested in the 1660s, probably from cant (“slope, edge, corner”) + lever, but the earliest form (c. 1610) was cantlapper. First element may also be Spanish can (“dog”), an architect's term for an end of timber jutting out of a wall, on which beams rested.

This word in other languages

voladizo(Español)porte-à-faux(Français)Auskragung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acntilever
  • canitlever
  • canntilever
  • cantielver
  • cantileevr
  • cantileverr
  • cantilevre
  • cantilevver
  • cantillever
  • cantilveer
  • cantliever
  • canttilever
  • catnilever
  • ccantilever
  • cnatilever

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acntilever2canitlever2canntilever1cantielver2cantileevr2cantileverr1cantilevre2cantilevver1
Edit distance from "cantilever"

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 "cantilever"?
"cantilever" is spelled C-A-N-T-I-L-E-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkantɪliːvə/.
What does "cantilever" mean?
As a noun, "cantilever" means: A beam anchored at one end and projecting into space, such as a long bracket projecting from a wall to support a balcony.
What are common misspellings of "cantilever"?
Common misspellings include "acntilever", "canitlever", "canntilever", "cantielver", "cantileevr". The correct spelling is "cantilever".
How do you pronounce "cantilever"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cantilever" is /ˈkantɪliːvə/. 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 "cantilever"?
First attested in the 1660s, probably from cant (“slope, edge, corner”) + lever, but the earliest form (c. 1610) was cantlapper. First element may also be Spanish can (“dog”), an architect's term for an end of timber jutting out of a wall, on whic... 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 "cantilever", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

coastguard#40,618Copernicus#40,629distilling#40,662effeminate#40,675

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

backtrack15 variantsdeleterious15 variantswhatever's15 variantshesitating15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list