caucus

/ˈkɔː.kəs/

//ˈkɔː.kəs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“caucus” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,295. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,295
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A usually preliminary meeting of party members to nominate candidates for public office or delegates to be sent to a nominating convention, or to confer regarding policy.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caucus · caucus · English

caucus · rank #13,295 · 8 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,295
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH catastrophic

Nearest frequency peer: catastrophic (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “caucus”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “caucus” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

caucus vs causes
67% similar
caucus vs circus
67% similar
caucus vs chucks
67% similar

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

Key facts for caucus
PropertyValue
Headwordcaucus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɔː.kəs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,295
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “caucus”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).caucuslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “catastrophic” (#13,294), “charcoal” (#13,296), “cheesy” (#13,297). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caucus” is #13,295. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around caucus (IPA /ˈkɔː.kəs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,295 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for caucus, with forms such as "acucus", "cacuus", and "cauccus". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "causes", "circus", "chucks", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown. Often claimed to be from an Algonquian language; transcribed words such as cawaassough and caucauasu meaning "counselor, elder, adviser" appear in early texts. A popular folk etymology attested in Great Leaders and National Issues of 1896 stated: "… The correct English form is caucus, spelled C-A-U-C-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A usually preliminary meeting of party members to nominate candidates for public office or delegates to be sent to a nominating convention, or to confer regarding policy.
  2. 2
    A grouping of all the members of a legislature from the same party.
  3. 3
    A political interest group by members of a legislative body.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how caucus appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He conferred with Mr. Warren of Plymouth upon the necessity of giving into spirited measures, and then said, "Do you keep the committee in play, and I will go and make a caucus against the evening; and do you meet me."

Etymology

Unknown. Often claimed to be from an Algonquian language; transcribed words such as cawaassough and caucauasu meaning "counselor, elder, adviser" appear in early texts. A popular folk etymology attested in Great Leaders and National Issues of 1896 stated: "In the early part of the eighteenth century a number of caulkers connected with the shipping business in the North End of Boston held a meeting for consultation. That meeting was the germ of the political caucuses which have formed so prominent a feature of our government ever since its organization." American Heritage Dictionary states the term is taken from the Caucus Club of Boston in the 1760s, possibly from Medieval Latin caucus (“drinking vessel”).

This word in other languages

bancada(Español)caucus(Français)Wahlausschuss(Deutsch)bancada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acucus
  • cacuus
  • cauccus
  • caucsu
  • caucuss
  • cauucs
  • ccaucus
  • cuacus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of caucus - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

acucus2cacuus2cauccus1caucsu2caucuss1cauucs2ccaucus1cuacus2
Edit distance from "caucus"

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 "caucus"?
"caucus" is spelled C-A-U-C-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɔː.kəs/.
What does "caucus" mean?
As a noun, "caucus" means: A usually preliminary meeting of party members to nominate candidates for public office or delegates to be sent to a nominating convention, or to confer regarding policy.
What words are commonly confused with "caucus"?
"caucus" is commonly confused with "causes", "circus", "chucks". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caucus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caucus" is /ˈkɔː.kəs/. 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 "caucus"?
Unknown. Often claimed to be from an Algonquian language; transcribed words such as cawaassough and caucauasu meaning "counselor, elder, adviser" appear in early texts. A popular folk etymology attested in Great Leaders and National Issues of 1896... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "caucus", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cheesy#13,297cartel#13,292Cheryl#13,298bushes#13,291

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Cindy8 variantsairing8 variantsunreal8 variantssurreal8 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list