caretaker
/ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ/noun, adjective
caretaker is spelled C-A-R-E-T-A-K-E-R: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, caretaker means “Someone who takes care of a place or thing; someone looking after a place, or responsible for keeping it in good repair” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of caretaker is caretakers.
How many letters and syllables are in caretaker?
| Letters | 9: C-A-R-E-T-A-K-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,005th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is caretaker?
Caretaker appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce caretaker?
- US /ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ/
- UK /ˈkɛəˌteɪ.kə/
Caretaker has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-caretaker.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of caretaker
- caretakers plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does caretaker mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Someone who takes care of a place or thing; someone looking after a place, or responsible for keeping it in good repair.
Her dad was a cemetery caretaker for many years. There was a lot of landscaping work. The gravedigging itself was done with backhoes.
- 2
Synonym of caregiver (“a person who provides care to another”).
adjective
- 1
UKTemporary, on a short term basis.
Johnson had to be drafted in as the caretaker manager after Hewlett resigned without warning the day before the final.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Caretaker in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | concierge, gardien, gardienne |
| German | Hausmeister , Pfleger, Pflegerin |
| Portuguese | cuidador , responsável |
| Spanish | conserje, portero , cuidador |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does caretaker come from?
From care + taker.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).