# caress

> English word · Noun · IPA /kəˈɹɛs/ · frequency rank #31,098

## Definitions
1. An act of endearment; any act or expression of affection; an embracing, or touching, with tenderness.
2. A gentle stroking or rubbing.

## Etymology
From French caresse, from Italian carezza (“dear”), from Latin cārus (“dear”), from Proto-Indo-European *keh₂-, akin to Sanskrit काम (kāma, “love”). Doublet of karezza.

## Easily confused with
- **cars** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-cars)
- **Cass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-cass)
- **cases** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-cases)
- **cross** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-cross)
- **chess** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-chess)
- **crews** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-crews)
- **Carey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-carey)
- **caves** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-caves)
- **crest** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-crest)
- **cores** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-cores)
- **carts** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-carts)
- **crass** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-crass)
- **Ceres** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-ceres)
- **Carew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-carew)
- **cates** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-cates)
- **Carlos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-carlos)
- **caters** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-caters)
- **crests** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-crests)
- **cypress** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-cypress)
- **caresses** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/caress-vs-caresses)

## Common misspellings (5)
`caerss`, `carress`, `carses`, `ccaress`, `craess`

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