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cast

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

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Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "cast", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "cast" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "cast" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

cast is aEnglishverb. It means: To move, or be moved, away. Pronounced /kɑːst/. It ranks #1,686 in English word frequency. Often confused with CT and cs.

Key facts for cast
PropertyValue
Headwordcast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kɑːst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,686
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of cast in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cast is 4 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɑːst/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,686 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 34 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 5 documented wrong-spelling variants for cast, with forms such as "acst", "casst", and "castt". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CT", "cs", "cut", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *kas- Proto-Germanic *kastōną Old Norse kastabor. Middle English casten English cast From Middle English casten, from Old Norse kasta (“to throw, cast, overturn”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw, cast”), of unknown ori… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is cast, spelled C-A-S-T, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move, or be moved, away.
  2. 2
    To move, or be moved, away.
  3. 3
    To move, or be moved, away.
  4. 4
    To move, or be moved, away.
  5. 5
    To move, or be moved, away.
  6. 6
    To move, or be moved, away.
  7. 7
    To move, or be moved, away.
  8. 8
    To move, or be moved, away.
  9. 9
    To move, or be moved, away.
  10. 10
    To move, or be moved, away.
  11. 11
    To direct (one's eyes, gaze etc.).
  12. 12
    To add up (a column of figures, accounts etc.); cross-cast refers to adding up a row of figures.
  13. 13
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  14. 14
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  15. 15
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  16. 16
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  17. 17
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  18. 18
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  19. 19
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  20. 20
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  21. 21
    To predict, to decide, to plan.
  22. 22
    To perform, bring forth (a magical spell or enchantment).
  23. 23
    To throw (light etc.) on or upon something, or in a given direction.
  24. 24
    To give birth to (a child) prematurely; to miscarry.
  25. 25
    To shape (molten metal etc.) by pouring into a mould; to make (an object) in such a way.
  26. 26
    To shape (molten metal etc.) by pouring into a mould; to make (an object) in such a way.
  27. 27
    To twist or warp (of fabric, timber etc.).
  28. 28
    To bring the bows of a sailing ship on to the required tack just as the anchor is weighed by use of the headsail; to bring (a ship) round.
  29. 29
    To deposit (a ballot or voting paper); to formally register (one's vote).
  30. 30
    To change a variable type from, for example, integer to real, or integer to text.
  31. 31
    Of dogs, hunters: to spread out and search for a scent.
  32. 32
    To set (a bone etc.) in a cast.
  33. 33
    To open a circle in order to begin a spell or meeting of witches.
  34. 34
    To broadcast (video) over the Internet or a local network, especially to one's television.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *kas- Proto-Germanic *kastōną Old Norse kastabor. Middle English casten English cast From Middle English casten, from Old Norse kasta (“to throw, cast, overturn”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw, cast”), of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots cast (“to cast, throw”), Danish kaste (“to throw”), Swedish kasta (“to throw, cast, fling, toss, discard”), Icelandic kasta (“to pitch, toss”). In the sense of "flinging", displaced native warp. The senses relating to broadcasting are based on that same term; compare -cast.

This word in other languages

Spanish(Español)Portuguese(Português)French(Français)German(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acst,casst,castt,ccast,csat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for cast

Misspelling Variants of "cast"

acst4casst5castt5ccast5csat4
Misspelling Variants of "cast"

Frequency rank: #1,686 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cast"?
"cast" is spelled C-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kɑːst/.
What does "cast" mean?
As a verb, "cast" means: To move, or be moved, away.
What words are commonly confused with "cast"?
"cast" is commonly confused with "CT", "cs", "cut". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cast" is /kɑːst/. 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 "cast"?
Etymology tree Proto-Germanic *kas- Proto-Germanic *kastōną Old Norse kastabor. Middle English casten English cast From Middle English casten, from Old Norse kasta (“to throw, cast, overturn”), from Proto-Germanic *kastōną (“to throw, cast”), of u... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index:

All "C" wordsABCDEFGHIJKL

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.