capitalism
/ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/
"capitalism" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“capitalism” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,425 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #7,425
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources or capital.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | capitalism |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #7,425 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “capitalism” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for capitalism is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,425 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources or capital.
- 2An economic system based on private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit.
- 3A 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.
- 4An 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.
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
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.
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
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Using “capitalism”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-P-I-T-A-L-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “capitalist” - see the side-by-side comparison. capitalism vs capitalist
- 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.