capitol

/ˈkæp.ɪ.təl/

//ˈkæp.ɪ.təl// noun

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

"capitol" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“capitol” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,103. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,103
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any building or complex of buildings in which a legislature meets.

Corpus desk

Index EN-capitol · capitol · English

capitol · rank #7,103 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,103
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH camping

Nearest frequency peer: camping (-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 “capitol”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “capitol” 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).

capitol vs captor
71% similar
capitol vs capita
71% similar
capitol vs capital
86% similar

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

Key facts for capitol
PropertyValue
Headwordcapitol
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæp.ɪ.təl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,103
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “capitol”

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).capitollands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “camping” (#7,102), “Celtic” (#7,104), “borrow” (#7,101). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “capitol” is #7,103. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around capitol (IPA /ˈkæp.ɪ.təl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,103 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for capitol, with forms such as "acpitol", "caiptol", and "capiotl". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "captor", "capita", "capital", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English Capitolie, via Anglo-Norman capitolie, Old French capitoile, from Latin Capitōlium (“Capitoline Hill, its temples; any similar citadel”), from the oblique stem of caput (“head”) + -ō (noun-forming suffix) or -ōlus (“-ole”, diminutive suf… The correct English form is capitol, spelled C-A-P-I-T-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any building or complex of buildings in which a legislature meets.
  2. 2
    Any citadel or complex of buildings similar to the Roman Capitol, particularly Italian and Roman citadels including temples to Jupiter, Juno, and Minerva.
  3. 3
    Alternative form of capitoul (“the former chief magistrates of Toulouse, France”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The state capitol is located smack-dab in the middle of the state's capital.
  2. The centre of attraction was the City Hall. Two thousand flags and more ...; 2,000 electric lights... combined to make the civic capitol gorgeous... .

Etymology

From Middle English Capitolie, via Anglo-Norman capitolie, Old French capitoile, from Latin Capitōlium (“Capitoline Hill, its temples; any similar citadel”), from the oblique stem of caput (“head”) + -ō (noun-forming suffix) or -ōlus (“-ole”, diminutive suffix) + -ium (toponym-forming suffix). Compare Latin capitō and capitulum. As a French magistrate, via French capitoul, from Capitole, the town hall of Toulouse. Doublet of Capitolium and capitoul.

Synonyms

statehouseCapitolium

This word in other languages

capitolio(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acpitol
  • caiptol
  • capiotl
  • capitlo
  • capitoll
  • capittol
  • cappitol
  • captiol
  • ccapitol
  • cpaitol

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of capitol - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

acpitol2caiptol2capiotl2capitlo2capitoll1capittol1cappitol1captiol2
Edit distance from "capitol"

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 "capitol"?
"capitol" is spelled C-A-P-I-T-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæp.ɪ.təl/.
What does "capitol" mean?
As a noun, "capitol" means: Any building or complex of buildings in which a legislature meets.
What words are commonly confused with "capitol"?
"capitol" is commonly confused with "captor", "capita", "capital". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "capitol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "capitol" is /ˈkæp.ɪ.təl/. 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 "capitol"?
From Middle English Capitolie, via Anglo-Norman capitolie, Old French capitoile, from Latin Capitōlium (“Capitoline Hill, its temples; any similar citadel”), from the oblique stem of caput (“head”) + -ō (noun-forming suffix) or -ōlus (“-ole”, dimi... 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 "capitol", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

camping#7,102betting#7,098arrange#7,095cottage#7,112

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

admiral10 variantsvitamin10 variantsvisitor10 variantsfirmly10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list