caterer
/ˈkeɪtəɹɚ/
"caterer" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“caterer” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #40,167 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #40,167
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 7
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person employed to obtain and maintain the storage of provisions, especially food.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | caterer |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkeɪtəɹɚ/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #40,167 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 7 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “caterer” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for caterer is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkeɪtəɹɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #40,167 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 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for caterer, with forms such as "acterer", "caetrer", and "cateerr". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "caters", "catheter", "cater", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From cater + -er. The correct English form is caterer, spelled C-A-T-E-R-E-R.
Definition
- 1A person employed to obtain and maintain the storage of provisions, especially food.
- 2A person or company hired to provide and serve food, usually for a large group and at a location separate from where the food is prepared.
Etymology
From cater + -er.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: acterer,caetrer,cateerr,catererr,caterre,caterrer,catreer,catterer,ccaterer,ctaerer
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of caterer - 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.
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 "caterer"?
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What words are commonly confused with "caterer"?
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Using “caterer”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-T-E-R-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkeɪtəɹɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “caters” - see the side-by-side comparison. caterer vs caters
- 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.