capitalism

/ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/

//ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m// noun

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

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

The verdict

“capitalism” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,425. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,425
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources or capital.

Corpus desk

Index EN-capitalism · capitalism · English

capitalism · rank #7,425 · 15 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,425
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH bullying

Nearest frequency peer: bullying (-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 “capitalism”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “capitalism” 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).

capitalism vs capitalist
90% similar
capitalism vs capitalize
80% similar
capitalism vs capitalise
90% similar

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

Key facts for capitalism
PropertyValue
Headwordcapitalism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/
Letters10
Frequency rank#7,425
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “capitalism”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).capitalismlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “bullying” (#7,424), “caution” (#7,426), “bulls” (#7,423). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “capitalism” is #7,425. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around capitalism (IPA /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,425 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for capitalism, with forms such as "acpitalism", "caiptalism", and "capiatlism". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "capitalist", "capitalize", "capitalise", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French capitalisme (“the condition of one who is rich”); equivalent to capital + -ism. Derived from Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. First used in English by novelist William Thackeray in The Newc… The correct English form is capitalism, spelled C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources or capital.
  2. 2
    An economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit.
  3. 3
    A socio-economic system based on private property rights, including the private ownership of resources or capital, with economic decisions made largely through the operation of a market unregulated by the state.
  4. 4
    An economic system based on the abstraction of resources into the form of privately owned capital, with economic decisions made largely through the operation of a market unregulated by the state.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The peasantry have long since disappeared, the independent shopkeeper is being destroyed, the small business-man is diminishing in numbers. But at the same time modern industry is so complicated that it cannot get along without great numbers of managers, salesmen, engineers, chemists and technicians of all kinds, drawing fairly large salaries. And these i…
  2. After the economic paralysis during the early years of the People's Republic, and after the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, the fresh though sometimes harsh wind of capitalism is blowing across this city's 2,388 square miles (6,185 square kilometers) with a socialist face. The motto of the Chinese national government "Become wealthy together!" has creat…

Etymology

Borrowed from French capitalisme (“the condition of one who is rich”); equivalent to capital + -ism. Derived from Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. First used in English by novelist William Thackeray in The Newcomes [1854-1855].

This word in other languages

capitalismo(Español)capitalisme(Français)Kapitalismus(Deutsch)capitalismo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acpitalism
  • caiptalism
  • capiatlism
  • capitailsm
  • capitalims
  • capitalismm
  • capitalissm
  • capitallism
  • capitalsim
  • capitlaism
  • capittalism
  • cappitalism
  • captialism
  • ccapitalism
  • cpaitalism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of capitalism - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

acpitalism2caiptalism2capiatlism2capitailsm2capitalims2capitalismm1capitalissm1capitallism1
Edit distance from "capitalism"

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 "capitalism"?
"capitalism" is spelled C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/.
What does "capitalism" mean?
As a noun, "capitalism" means: A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources or capital.
What words are commonly confused with "capitalism"?
"capitalism" is commonly confused with "capitalist", "capitalize", "capitalise". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "capitalism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "capitalism" is /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/. 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 "capitalism"?
Borrowed from French capitalisme (“the condition of one who is rich”); equivalent to capital + -ism. Derived from Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. First used in English by novelist William Thackeray i... 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 "capitalism", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

compatible#7,432convincing#7,437exceptions#7,443geographic#7,452

Similar misspelling depth

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

referendum15 variantsmanufacture15 variantsthereafter15 variantsfinancially15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list