caricature

/ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ/

//ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ// noun

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

"caricature" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“caricature” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,605. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,605
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pictorial representation of someone in which distinguishing features are exaggerated for comic effect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caricature · caricature · English

caricature · rank #22,605 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,605
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH carefree

Nearest frequency peer: carefree (-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 “caricature”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “caricature” 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
Key facts for caricature
PropertyValue
Headwordcaricature
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ/
Letters10
Frequency rank#22,605
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “caricature”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).caricaturelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “carefree” (#22,604), “carton” (#22,606), “cayman” (#22,607). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caricature” is #22,605. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around caricature (IPA /ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,605 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for caricature, with forms such as "acricature", "caircature", and "carciature". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French caricature, from Italian caricatura. Not related to character, which is instead ultimately from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “type, nature, character”). The correct English form is caricature, spelled C-A-R-I-C-A-T-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pictorial representation of someone in which distinguishing features are exaggerated for comic effect.
  2. 2
    A grotesque misrepresentation.
  3. 3
    In facial recognition systems, a face that has been modified to look less like the average face, and thus more distinctive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Lo Ching-chong (羅慶忠), better known as L.C.C., showed off a caricature of Lu he did in 2001. In the black-and-white drawing, Lu sports a bird's nest-like hairdo, with a bird perched in it.
  2. Men In Black 3 lacks the novelty of the first film, and its take on the late ’60s feels an awful lot like a psychedelic dress-up party, all broad caricatures and groovy vibes.

Etymology

From French caricature, from Italian caricatura. Not related to character, which is instead ultimately from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “type, nature, character”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acricature
  • caircature
  • carciature
  • cariacture
  • caricatrue
  • caricatture
  • caricatuer
  • caricaturre
  • caricautre
  • cariccature
  • carictaure
  • carricature
  • ccaricature
  • craicature

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acricature2caircature2carciature2cariacture2caricatrue2caricatture1caricatuer2caricaturre1
Edit distance from "caricature"

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 "caricature"?
"caricature" is spelled C-A-R-I-C-A-T-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ/.
What does "caricature" mean?
As a noun, "caricature" means: A pictorial representation of someone in which distinguishing features are exaggerated for comic effect.
What are common misspellings of "caricature"?
Common misspellings include "acricature", "caircature", "carciature", "cariacture", "caricatrue". The correct spelling is "caricature".
How do you pronounce "caricature"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caricature" is /ˈkɛɹɪkət͡ʃʊɚ/. 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 "caricature"?
From French caricature, from Italian caricatura. Not related to character, which is instead ultimately from Ancient Greek χαρακτήρ (kharaktḗr, “type, nature, character”). 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 "caricature", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

chandelier#22,611breathless#22,596complacent#22,622counteract#22,630

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

complicit14 variantscourtship14 variantsabbreviated14 variantsdystopian14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list