caution

/ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n/

//ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n// noun

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

"caution" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“caution” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,426. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,426
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Prudence when faced with, or when expecting to face, danger; care taken in order to avoid risk or harm.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caution · caution · English

caution · rank #7,426 · 9 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,426
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH capitalism

Nearest frequency peer: capitalism (-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 “caution”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “caution” 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).

caution vs cautious
75% similar
caution vs canton
71% similar
caution vs carton
71% similar

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

Key facts for caution
PropertyValue
Headwordcaution
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,426
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “caution”

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).cautionlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “capitalism” (#7,425), “certification” (#7,427), “bullying” (#7,424). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caution” is #7,426. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around caution (IPA /ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,426 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for caution, with forms such as "catuion", "cauiton", and "causion". 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 9 confusable-pair relationships, "cautious", "canton", "carton", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since 1297 as Middle English caucioun (“bail, guarantee, pledge”), from Old French caution (“security, surety”), itself from Latin cautiō, from cautus, past participle of caveō, cavēre (“be on one's guard”). The correct English form is caution, spelled C-A-U-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prudence when faced with, or when expecting to face, danger; care taken in order to avoid risk or harm.
  2. 2
    A careful attention to the probable effects of an act, in order that failure or harm may be avoided.
  3. 3
    Security; guaranty; bail.
  4. 4
    One who draws attention or causes astonishment by their behaviour.
  5. 5
    A formal warning given as an alternative to prosecution in minor cases.
  6. 6
    A yellow card.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. take caution
  2. have caution

Etymology

Recorded since 1297 as Middle English caucioun (“bail, guarantee, pledge”), from Old French caution (“security, surety”), itself from Latin cautiō, from cautus, past participle of caveō, cavēre (“be on one's guard”).

Synonyms

cautioncautiousnesscaginesscarecarefulnesscircumspectionheedheedfulnessprudencereckfulnesswariness

Antonyms

incaution

This word in other languages

advertencia(Español)caution(Français)Warnung(Deutsch)cuidado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • catuion
  • cauiton
  • causion
  • cautino
  • cautionn
  • cautoin
  • cauttion
  • ccaution
  • cuation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

catuion2cauiton2causion1cautino2cautionn1cautoin2cauttion1ccaution1
Edit distance from "caution"

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 "caution"?
"caution" is spelled C-A-U-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n/.
What does "caution" mean?
As a noun, "caution" means: Prudence when faced with, or when expecting to face, danger; care taken in order to avoid risk or harm.
What words are commonly confused with "caution"?
"caution" is commonly confused with "cautious", "canton", "carton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caution"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caution" is /ˈkɔːʃ(ə)n/. 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 "caution"?
Recorded since 1297 as Middle English caucioun (“bail, guarantee, pledge”), from Old French caution (“security, surety”), itself from Latin cautiō, from cautus, past participle of caveō, cavēre (“be on one's guard”). 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 "caution", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

columns#7,431coupled#7,438delight#7,440twisted#7,406

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

grande9 variantsslower9 variantsscales9 variantsrushed9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list