caption

/ˈkæp.ʃən/

//ˈkæp.ʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“caption” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,822. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,822
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The descriptive heading or title, of a document or part thereof.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caption · caption · English

caption · rank #10,822 · 11 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,822
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH brace

Nearest frequency peer: brace (-2 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 “caption”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “caption” 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).

caption vs carton
71% similar
caption vs cation
86% similar
caption vs captor
71% similar

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

Key facts for caption
PropertyValue
Headwordcaption
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæp.ʃən/
Letters7
Frequency rank#10,822
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “caption”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).captionlands 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 “brace” (#10,820), “choke” (#10,824), “cholesterol” (#10,825). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caption” is #10,822. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around caption (IPA /ˈkæp.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,822 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for caption, with forms such as "acption", "capiton", and "capption". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "carton", "cation", "captor", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin captiō (“deception, fraud”), from the past participle of capiō (“I take, I seize”) (English capture). Compare Middle English capcioun (“seizure, capture”). The correct English form is caption, spelled C-A-P-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The descriptive heading or title, of a document or part thereof.
  2. 2
    A title or brief explanation attached to an illustration, cartoon, user interface element, etc.
  3. 3
    A piece of text appearing on screen as a subtitle or other part of a film or broadcast, describing dialogue (and sometimes other sound) for viewers who cannot hear.
  4. 4
    The section on an official paper (for example, as part of a seizure or capture) that describes when, where, and what was taken, found or executed, and who authorized the act.
  5. 5
    A seizure or capture, especially of tangible property (chattel).
  6. 6
    A story that is embedded in a pre-existing image (sometimes with image manipulation)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Some of the photographs are new and interesting, but many captions are amateurish, uninformative or simply careless.
  2. (theater, performance production) By analogy, text in a similar system used in a performance venue for transcription of a live event.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin captiō (“deception, fraud”), from the past participle of capiō (“I take, I seize”) (English capture). Compare Middle English capcioun (“seizure, capture”).

This word in other languages

prefacio(Español)légende(Français)Überschrift(Deutsch)cabeçalho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acption
  • capiton
  • capption
  • capsion
  • captino
  • captionn
  • captoin
  • capttion
  • catpion
  • ccaption
  • cpation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acption2capiton2capption1capsion1captino2captionn1captoin2capttion1
Edit distance from "caption"

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 "caption"?
"caption" is spelled C-A-P-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæp.ʃən/.
What does "caption" mean?
As a noun, "caption" means: The descriptive heading or title, of a document or part thereof.
What words are commonly confused with "caption"?
"caption" is commonly confused with "carton", "cation", "captor". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caption"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caption" is /ˈkæp.ʃən/. 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 "caption"?
Borrowed from Latin captiō (“deception, fraud”), from the past participle of capiō (“I take, I seize”) (English capture). Compare Middle English capcioun (“seizure, capture”). 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 "caption", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

condemn#10,831arising#10,810apparel#10,808admired#10,802

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

disguise11 variantsempathy11 variantsWindsor11 variantsweakened11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list