caveman

/ˈkeɪvˌmæn/

//ˈkeɪvˌmæn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“caveman” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,166. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,166
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An early human or closely related species, popularly held to reside in caves.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caveman · caveman · English

caveman · rank #33,166 · 10 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,166
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Castile

Nearest frequency peer: Castile (-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 “caveman”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “caveman” 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).

caveman vs cayman
71% similar
caveman vs cavern
71% similar
caveman vs Coleman
57% similar

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

Key facts for caveman
PropertyValue
Headwordcaveman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkeɪvˌmæn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#33,166
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “caveman”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cavemanlands 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 “Castile” (#33,165), “CET” (#33,168), “chairwoman” (#33,169). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caveman” is #33,166. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around caveman (IPA /ˈkeɪvˌmæn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,166 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for caveman, with forms such as "acveman", "caevman", and "caveamn". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "cayman", "cavern", "Coleman", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cave + man, based on the supposition that early humans dwelt in caves. The correct English form is caveman, spelled C-A-V-E-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An early human or closely related species, popularly held to reside in caves.
  2. 2
    A person with backward, primitive behavior, opinions, or interests.
  3. 3
    A person with backward, primitive behavior, opinions, or interests.
  4. 4
    A person with backward, primitive behavior, opinions, or interests.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The political cartoon showed the politician as a caveman, clubbing the budget depicted as a mammoth.
  2. CAVEMAN DIET The creators of this nutrition plan believe that cavemen and cavewomen were lean and healthy because of the all-natural foods they ate.

Etymology

From cave + man, based on the supposition that early humans dwelt in caves.

Synonyms

hominidhomininNeanderthaltroglodyteboorknuckle draggerloutNeanderthalsavagethugtroglodytemale chauvinistNeanderthal

This word in other languages

cavernícola(Español)homme des cavernes(Français)Höhlenmensch(Deutsch)cavernícola(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acveman
  • caevman
  • caveamn
  • cavemann
  • cavemman
  • cavemna
  • cavmean
  • cavveman
  • ccaveman
  • cvaeman

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of caveman - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

acveman2caevman2caveamn2cavemann1cavemman1cavemna2cavmean2cavveman1
Edit distance from "caveman"

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 "caveman"?
"caveman" is spelled C-A-V-E-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkeɪvˌmæn/.
What does "caveman" mean?
As a noun, "caveman" means: An early human or closely related species, popularly held to reside in caves.
What words are commonly confused with "caveman"?
"caveman" is commonly confused with "cayman", "cavern", "Coleman". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "caveman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caveman" is /ˈkeɪvˌmæn/. 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 "caveman"?
From cave + man, based on the supposition that early humans dwelt in caves. 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 "caveman", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Castile#33,165Chengdu#33,173clamped#33,179Bianchi#33,147

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

bottomed10 variantsbarcode10 variantsBalmain10 variantsdisused10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list