Castro

/ˈkæstɹoʊ/

//ˈkæstɹoʊ// name

"castro" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Castro” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,659 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#10,659
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A surname from Spanish.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

Castro vs Cato
67% similar
Castro vs CSIRO
17% similar
Castro vs cast
50% similar

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

Key facts for Castro
PropertyValue
HeadwordCastro
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈkæstɹoʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,659
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Castro” 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). Castro 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 Castro is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkæstɹoʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,659 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Castro, with forms such as "acstro", "casrto", and "casstro". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "Cato", "CSIRO", "cast", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Spanish Castro. The neighborhood is named after Californio politician José Castro (1808–1860). The correct English form is Castro, spelled C-A-S-T-R-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A surname from Spanish.
  2. 2
    A neighborhood of San Francisco, California, known for its LGBT community.

Etymology

Borrowed from Spanish Castro. The neighborhood is named after Californio politician José Castro (1808–1860).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: acstro,casrto,casstro,castrro,casttro,catsro,ccastro,csatro

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Castro - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

acstro2casrto2casstro1castrro1casttro1catsro2ccastro1csatro2
Edit distance from "Castro"

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 "Castro"?
"Castro" is spelled C-A-S-T-R-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæstɹoʊ/.
What does "Castro" mean?
As a proper noun, "Castro" means: A surname from Spanish.
What words are commonly confused with "Castro"?
"Castro" is commonly confused with "Cato", "CSIRO", "cast". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Castro"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Castro" is /ˈkæstɹoʊ/. 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 "Castro"?
Borrowed from Spanish Castro. The neighborhood is named after Californio politician José Castro (1808–1860). 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 “Castro”

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

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