case

/keɪs/

//keɪs// noun

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

"case" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“case” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #255 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#255
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An actual event, situation, or fact.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

case vs cs
50% similar
case vs CE
0% similar
case vs cat
50% similar

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

Key facts for case
PropertyValue
Headwordcase
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/keɪs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#255
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “case” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for case is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /keɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #255 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for case, with forms such as "acse", "caes", and "casse". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cs", "CE", "cat", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cas, from Old French cas (“an event”), from Latin cāsus (“a falling, a fall; accident, event, occurrence; occasion, opportunity; noun case”), perfect passive participle of cadō (“to fall, to drop”). The correct English form is case, spelled C-A-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An actual event, situation, or fact.
  2. 2
    A given condition or state.
  3. 3
    A specific matter or piece of work, specifically defined within a profession, usually in respect of a specific person and/or event; the set of tasks involved in addressing one such matter.
  4. 4
    An instance or event as a topic of study.
  5. 5
    A legal proceeding; a lawsuit or prosecution.
  6. 6
    A specific inflection of a word (particularly a noun, pronoun, or adjective) depending on its function in the sentence.
  7. 7
    Grammatical cases and their meanings taken either as a topic in general or within a specific language.
  8. 8
    An instance of a specific condition or set of symptoms.
  9. 9
    A section of code representing one of the actions of a conditional switch.
  10. 10
    A love affair.

Etymology

From Middle English cas, from Old French cas (“an event”), from Latin cāsus (“a falling, a fall; accident, event, occurrence; occasion, opportunity; noun case”), perfect passive participle of cadō (“to fall, to drop”).

Synonyms

befallgrammatical case

This word in other languages

caso(Español)cas(Français)Fall(Deutsch)caso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acse,caes,casse,ccase,csae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acse2caes2casse1ccase1csae2
Edit distance from "case"

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 "case"?
"case" is spelled C-A-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /keɪs/.
What does "case" mean?
As a noun, "case" means: An actual event, situation, or fact.
What words are commonly confused with "case"?
"case" is commonly confused with "cs", "CE", "cat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "case"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "case" is /keɪs/. 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 "case"?
From Middle English cas, from Old French cas (“an event”), from Latin cāsus (“a falling, a fall; accident, event, occurrence; occasion, opportunity; noun case”), perfect passive participle of cadō (“to fall, to drop”). 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.

Using “case”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /keɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cs” - see the side-by-side comparison. case vs cs
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list