caste

/kɑːst/

//kɑːst// noun

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

"caste" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“caste” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,934 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#12,934
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of the hereditary social classes and subclasses of South Asian societies or similar found historically in other cultures.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

caste vs cat
60% similar
caste vs CST
0% similar
caste vs CTE
0% similar

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

Key facts for caste
PropertyValue
Headwordcaste
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɑːst/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,934
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “caste” 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). caste 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 caste is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɑːst/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,934 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for caste, with forms such as "acste", "caset", and "casste". 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, "cat", "CST", "CTE", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Portuguese or Spanish casta (“lineage, breed, race”), which the OED derives from Portuguese casto (“chaste”), from Latin castus (“chaste"; "chastity”), Coromines (1987) argues instead for a hypothetical Gothic form *𐌺𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (*kasts, “group,… The correct English form is caste, spelled C-A-S-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the hereditary social classes and subclasses of South Asian societies or similar found historically in other cultures.
  2. 2
    A separate and fixed order or class of persons in society who chiefly associate with each other.
  3. 3
    The division of society into castes; the caste system.
  4. 4
    A class of polymorphous eusocial insects of a particular size and function within a colony.

Etymology

Borrowed from Portuguese or Spanish casta (“lineage, breed, race”), which the OED derives from Portuguese casto (“chaste”), from Latin castus (“chaste"; "chastity”), Coromines (1987) argues instead for a hypothetical Gothic form *𐌺𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (*kasts, “group, collection of animals”), cognate with English cast, from Proto-Germanic *kastuz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ǵ-es-.

This word in other languages

casta(Español)caste(Français)Kaste(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acste,caset,casste,castte,catse,ccaste,csate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of caste - 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.

acste2caset2casste1castte1catse2ccaste1csate2
Edit distance from "caste"

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 "caste"?
"caste" is spelled C-A-S-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɑːst/.
What does "caste" mean?
As a noun, "caste" means: Any of the hereditary social classes and subclasses of South Asian societies or similar found historically in other cultures.
What words are commonly confused with "caste"?
"caste" is commonly confused with "cat", "CST", "CTE". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caste"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caste" 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 "caste"?
Borrowed from Portuguese or Spanish casta (“lineage, breed, race”), which the OED derives from Portuguese casto (“chaste”), from Latin castus (“chaste"; "chastity”), Coromines (1987) argues instead for a hypothetical Gothic form *𐌺𐌰𐍃𐍄𐍃 (*kast... 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 “caste”

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

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