cautionary

/ˈkɔːʃənəɹi/

//ˈkɔːʃənəɹi// adj

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

"cautionary" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cautionary” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #30,726. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#30,726
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Serving to caution or warn; admonitory

Corpus desk

Index EN-cautionary · cautionary · English

cautionary · rank #30,726 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #30,726
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cassius

Nearest frequency peer: Cassius (-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 “cautionary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cautionary” 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
Key facts for cautionary
PropertyValue
Headwordcautionary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɔːʃənəɹi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#30,726
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cautionary”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).cautionarylands 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 “Cassius” (#30,725), “cayenne” (#30,727), “chez” (#30,730). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cautionary” is #30,726. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around cautionary (IPA /ˈkɔːʃənəɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #30,726 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for cautionary, with forms such as "acutionary", "catuionary", and "cauitonary". 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. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Medieval Latin cautiōnārius. The correct English form is cautionary, spelled C-A-U-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Serving to caution or warn; admonitory
  2. 2
    Serving to ward off; preventive
  3. 3
    Held as security or hostage

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Most parents were optimistic, but others sounded a cautionary note.

Etymology

Borrowed from Medieval Latin cautiōnārius.

This word in other languages

precautorio(Español)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acutionary
  • catuionary
  • cauitonary
  • cautinoary
  • cautioanry
  • cautionarry
  • cautionaryy
  • cautionayr
  • cautionnary
  • cautionray
  • cautoinary
  • cauttionary
  • ccautionary
  • cuationary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acutionary2catuionary2cauitonary2cautinoary2cautioanry2cautionarry1cautionaryy1cautionayr2
Edit distance from "cautionary"

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 "cautionary"?
"cautionary" is spelled C-A-U-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɔːʃənəɹi/.
What does "cautionary" mean?
As an adjective, "cautionary" means: Serving to caution or warn; admonitory
What are common misspellings of "cautionary"?
Common misspellings include "acutionary", "catuionary", "cauitonary", "cautinoary", "cautioanry". The correct spelling is "cautionary".
How do you pronounce "cautionary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cautionary" is /ˈkɔːʃənəɹi/. 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 "cautionary"?
Borrowed from Medieval Latin cautiōnārius. 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 "cautionary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

buttermilk#30,716Brookfield#30,711altruistic#30,680aborigines#30,669

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

damnation14 variantsexpectant14 variantsHindustan14 variantstinkering14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list