caribou

/ˈkæɹəbu/

//ˈkæɹəbu// noun

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

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

The verdict

“caribou” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #29,953. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#29,953
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of several North American subspecies Rangifer tarandus of the reindeer.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caribou · caribou · English

caribou · rank #29,953 · 9 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #29,953
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH carnal

Nearest frequency peer: carnal (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “caribou”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “caribou” 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).

caribou vs carbon
71% similar

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

Key facts for caribou
PropertyValue
Headwordcaribou
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæɹəbu/
Letters7
Frequency rank#29,953
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “caribou”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cariboulands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “carnal” (#29,954), “Camelot” (#29,951), “Caro” (#29,955). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caribou” is #29,953. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around caribou (IPA /ˈkæɹəbu/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #29,953 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Any of several North American subspecies Rangifer tarandus of the reindeer.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for caribou, with forms such as "acribou", "cairbou", and "carbiou". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "carbon", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Canadian French caribou, from Mi'kmaq qalipu (“caribou”) (compare qalipi (“to shovel snow”)), from Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipowa (“caribou; it shovels snow”). The correct English form is caribou, spelled C-A-R-I-B-O-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several North American subspecies Rangifer tarandus of the reindeer.

Etymology

Borrowed from Canadian French caribou, from Mi'kmaq qalipu (“caribou”) (compare qalipi (“to shovel snow”)), from Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipowa (“caribou; it shovels snow”).

This word in other languages

caribú(Español)caribou(Français)Karibu(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acribou
  • cairbou
  • carbiou
  • caribbou
  • caribuo
  • cariobu
  • carribou
  • ccaribou
  • craibou

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acribou2cairbou2carbiou2caribbou1caribuo2cariobu2carribou1ccaribou1
Edit distance from "caribou"

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 "caribou"?
"caribou" is spelled C-A-R-I-B-O-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæɹəbu/.
What does "caribou" mean?
As a noun, "caribou" means: Any of several North American subspecies Rangifer tarandus of the reindeer.
What words are commonly confused with "caribou"?
"caribou" is commonly confused with "carbon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caribou"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caribou" is /ˈkæɹəbu/. 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 "caribou"?
Borrowed from Canadian French caribou, from Mi'kmaq qalipu (“caribou”) (compare qalipi (“to shovel snow”)), from Proto-Algonquian *maka·lipowa (“caribou; it shovels snow”). 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 "caribou", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Camelot#29,951caustic#29,959Brenner#29,943Corinth#29,981

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

carnal9 variantsbumble9 variantsBrandi9 variantsBlount9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list