cavalry

/ˈkæ.vəl.ɹi/

//ˈkæ.vəl.ɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cavalry” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,580. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,580
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The military arm of service that fights while riding horses.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cavalry · cavalry · English

cavalry · rank #9,580 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,580
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Carroll

Nearest frequency peer: Carroll (-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 “cavalry”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cavalry” 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).

cavalry vs chivalry
75% similar
cavalry vs canary
71% similar
cavalry vs Calvary
57% similar

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

Key facts for cavalry
PropertyValue
Headwordcavalry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæ.vəl.ɹi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,580
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cavalry”

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).cavalrylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Carroll” (#9,579), “Clara” (#9,581), “cans” (#9,578). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cavalry” is #9,580. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around cavalry (IPA /ˈkæ.vəl.ɹi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,580 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for cavalry, with forms such as "acvalry", "caavlry", and "cavallry". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "chivalry", "canary", "Calvary", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French cavalerie, in turn from Italian cavalleria. Recorded in English from the 1540s. Doublet of chivalry. The correct English form is cavalry, spelled C-A-V-A-L-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The military arm of service that fights while riding horses.
  2. 2
    An individual unit of this arm of service.
  3. 3
    The branch of the military transported by fast light vehicles, also known as mechanized cavalry.
  4. 4
    A source of rescue, especially in an emergency.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Two hundred heavily-armed cavalry rode behind the Audley standard, while close at their heels came the Duke of Lancaster with a glittering train, heralds tabarded with the royal arms riding three deep upon cream-colored chargers in front of him.
  2. call in the cavalry

Etymology

From Middle French cavalerie, in turn from Italian cavalleria. Recorded in English from the 1540s. Doublet of chivalry.

This word in other languages

caballería(Español)cavalerie(Français)Reiterei(Deutsch)cavalaria(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acvalry
  • caavlry
  • cavallry
  • cavalrry
  • cavalryy
  • cavalyr
  • cavarly
  • cavlary
  • cavvalry
  • ccavalry
  • cvaalry

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acvalry2caavlry2cavallry1cavalrry1cavalryy1cavalyr2cavarly2cavlary2
Edit distance from "cavalry"

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 "cavalry"?
"cavalry" is spelled C-A-V-A-L-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæ.vəl.ɹi/.
What does "cavalry" mean?
As a noun, "cavalry" means: The military arm of service that fights while riding horses.
What words are commonly confused with "cavalry"?
"cavalry" is commonly confused with "chivalry", "canary", "Calvary". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cavalry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cavalry" is /ˈkæ.vəl.ɹi/. 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 "cavalry"?
From Middle French cavalerie, in turn from Italian cavalleria. Recorded in English from the 1540s. Doublet of chivalry. 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 "cavalry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Carroll#9,579bishops#9,571banning#9,570aligned#9,560

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

decisive11 variantsAustrian11 variantsepidemic11 variantsadditions11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list