captain

/ˈkæp.tɪn/

//ˈkæp.tɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“captain” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,359 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,359
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A chief or leader.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

captain vs certain
71% similar
captain vs contain
71% similar
captain vs curtain
71% similar

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

Key facts for captain
PropertyValue
Headwordcaptain
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæp.tɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#1,359
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “captain” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for captain is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkæp.tɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,359 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for captain, with forms such as "acptain", "capatin", and "capptain". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "certain", "contain", "curtain", 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 capitain, capteyn, from Old French capitaine, from Late Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput (“head”) (English cap). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. Doublet of chieftain, also from Old French. The correct English form is captain, spelled C-A-P-T-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A chief or leader.
  2. 2
    The person lawfully in command of a ship or other vessel.
  3. 3
    An army officer with a rank between the most senior grade of lieutenant and major.
  4. 4
    A naval officer with a rank between commander and commodore.
  5. 5
    A commissioned officer in the United States Navy, Coast Guard, NOAA Corps, or PHS Corps of a grade superior to a commander and junior to a rear admiral (lower half). A captain is equal in grade or rank to a United States Army, Marine Corps, or Air Force colonel.
  6. 6
    A rank qualifying an airline pilot to act as pilot in command of a two-pilot flight crew.
  7. 7
    One of the athletes on a sports team who is designated to make decisions, and is allowed to speak for his team with a referee or official.
  8. 8
    The leader of a group of workers.
  9. 9
    The head boy of a school.
  10. 10
    A maître d', a headwaiter.
  11. 11
    An honorific title given to a prominent person. See colonel.

Etymology

From Middle English capitain, capteyn, from Old French capitaine, from Late Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput (“head”) (English cap). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. Doublet of chieftain, also from Old French.

Synonyms

supervisorstraw bossforemanskippermasterpilotpilot in commandCAPTCapt.CaptCPT

This word in other languages

capitán(Español)capitaine(Français)Stabshauptmann(Deutsch)capitão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acptain,capatin,capptain,captainn,captani,captian,capttain,catpain,ccaptain,cpatain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acptain2capatin2capptain1captainn1captani2captian2capttain1catpain2
Edit distance from "captain"

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 "captain"?
"captain" is spelled C-A-P-T-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæp.tɪn/.
What does "captain" mean?
As a noun, "captain" means: A chief or leader.
What words are commonly confused with "captain"?
"captain" is commonly confused with "certain", "contain", "curtain". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "captain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "captain" is /ˈkæp.tɪn/. 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 "captain"?
From Middle English capitain, capteyn, from Old French capitaine, from Late Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput (“head”) (English cap). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. Doublet of chieftain, also from Old French. 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.

Using “captain”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-P-T-A-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkæp.tɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “certain” - see the side-by-side comparison. captain vs certain
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list