cash

/kæʃ/

//kæʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cash” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,264 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,264
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Money in the form of notes or bills and coins, as opposed to checks, credit or electronic transactions.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cash vs ch
50% similar
cash vs cs
50% similar
cash vs cat
50% similar

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

Key facts for cash
PropertyValue
Headwordcash
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kæʃ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,264
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cash” 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). cash 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 cash is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kæʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,264 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for cash, with forms such as "acsh", "cahs", and "cashh". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ch", "cs", "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 late Middle French caisse (“money-box”), itself borrowed from Occitan caissa, from Latin capsa (“box”), ultimately from capiō (“take, seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“grasp”). Doublet of case, chase, and chasse. Compare Spanish caja (“box”). The correct English form is cash, spelled C-A-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Money in the form of notes or bills and coins, as opposed to checks, credit or electronic transactions.
  2. 2
    Liquid assets, money that can be traded quickly, as distinct from assets that are invested and cannot be easily exchanged.
  3. 3
    Money.
  4. 4
    Cash register, or the counter in a business where the cash register is located.
  5. 5
    An instance of winning a cash prize.
  6. 6
    A place where money is kept, or where it is deposited and paid out; a money box.

Etymology

From late Middle French caisse (“money-box”), itself borrowed from Occitan caissa, from Latin capsa (“box”), ultimately from capiō (“take, seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“grasp”). Doublet of case, chase, and chasse. Compare Spanish caja (“box”).

This word in other languages

efectivo(Español)espèces(Français)Bargeld(Deutsch)dinheiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acsh,cahs,cashh,cassh,ccash,csah

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cash - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acsh2cahs2cashh1cassh1ccash1csah2
Edit distance from "cash"

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 "cash"?
"cash" is spelled C-A-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /kæʃ/.
What does "cash" mean?
As a noun, "cash" means: Money in the form of notes or bills and coins, as opposed to checks, credit or electronic transactions.
What words are commonly confused with "cash"?
"cash" is commonly confused with "ch", "cs", "cat". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cash"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cash" is /kæʃ/. 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 "cash"?
From late Middle French caisse (“money-box”), itself borrowed from Occitan caissa, from Latin capsa (“box”), ultimately from capiō (“take, seize”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“grasp”). Doublet of case, chase, and chasse. Compare Spanish caja ... 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 “cash”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kæʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ch” - see the side-by-side comparison. cash vs ch
  • 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