caretaker

Name: caretaker, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ/

//ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“caretaker” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,975. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,975
frequency rank, English: 5,599
“C” headwords: 13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who takes care of a place or thing; someone looking after a place, or responsible for keeping it in good repair.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caretaker · caretaker · English

caretaker · rank #15,975 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #15,975
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 13 variants
BOOK-DENSE 5,599
PHOTO-FINISH candid

Nearest frequency peer: candid (-1 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.

brat

84,030
bunk

84,029
candid

84,027
caretaker

84,026
carts

84,025
cervical

84,023

What this shows “caretaker” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for caretaker
Property	Value
Headword	caretaker
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#15,975
Misspellings tracked	13
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “caretaker”

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

#15,975

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “candid” (#15,974), “carts” (#15,976), “bunk” (#15,972). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caretaker” is #15,975. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around caretaker (IPA /ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,975 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for caretaker, with forms such as "acretaker", "caertaker", and "careatker". 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. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From care + taker. The correct English form is caretaker, spelled C-A-R-E-T-A-K-E-R.

Definition

1
Someone who takes care of a place or thing; someone looking after a place, or responsible for keeping it in good repair.
2
Synonym of caregiver (“a person who provides care to another”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Her dad was a cemetery caretaker for many years. There was a lot of landscaping work. The gravedigging itself was done with backhoes.
‘Miss Brindle must be very rich to live in such a big house,’ went on Jessamy. ‘Miss Brindle rich?’ said Aunt Maggie. ‘Bless you, she hasn’t tuppence to rub together. She’s only the caretaker.’

Etymology

From care + taker.

This word in other languages

conserje(Español)concierge(Français)Hausmeister(Deutsch)cuidador(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

acretaker
caertaker
careatker
caretaekr
caretakerr
caretakker
caretakre
caretkaer
carettaker
carretaker
carteaker
ccaretaker
craetaker

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "caretaker"

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 "caretaker"?

"caretaker" is spelled C-A-R-E-T-A-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ/.

What does "caretaker" mean?

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.

What are common misspellings of "caretaker"?

Common misspellings include "acretaker", "caertaker", "careatker", "caretaekr", "caretakerr". The correct spelling is "caretaker".

How do you pronounce "caretaker"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caretaker" is /ˈkɛɹˌteɪ.kɚ/. 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 "caretaker"?

From care + taker. 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 "caretaker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

checklist#15,980 amplifier#15,949 depiction#16,001 digitally#16,005

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Cinderella13 variants crackers13 variants underwood13 variants stabilize13 variants