# caption

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkæp.ʃən/ · frequency rank #10,822

## Definitions
1. The descriptive heading or title, of a document or part thereof.
2. A title or brief explanation attached to an illustration, cartoon, user interface element, etc.
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. 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. A seizure or capture, especially of tangible property (chattel).
6. A story that is embedded in a pre-existing image (sometimes with image manipulation)

## 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”).

## Easily confused with
- **carton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-carton)
- **cation** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-cation)
- **captor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-captor)
- **cartoon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-cartoon)
- **caution** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-caution)
- **captive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-captive)
- **Clapton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-clapton)
- **carrion** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caption-vs-carrion)
- **canton** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/canton-vs-caption)
- **captain** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/captain-vs-caption)
- **campion** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/campion-vs-caption)

## Common misspellings (11)
`acption`, `capiton`, `capption`, `capsion`, `captino`, `captionn`, `captoin`, `capttion`, `catpion`, `ccaption`, `cpation`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/caption