cavernous

/ˈkav.ən.əs/

//ˈkav.ən.əs// adj

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

"cavernous" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cavernous” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,238. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,238
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Resembling a cavern in size, shape, or atmosphere.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cavernous · cavernous · English

cavernous · rank #39,238 · 13 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #39,238
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cashew

Nearest frequency peer: cashew (-2 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 “cavernous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cavernous” 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).

cavernous vs caverns
78% similar

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

Key facts for cavernous
PropertyValue
Headwordcavernous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkav.ən.əs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#39,238
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cavernous”

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).cavernouslands 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 “cashew” (#39,236), “carpool” (#39,235), “carded” (#39,234). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cavernous” is #39,238. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around cavernous (IPA /ˈkav.ən.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #39,238 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for cavernous, with forms such as "acvernous", "caevrnous", and "cavenrous". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "caverns", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Late Middle English cavernous, cavernose, borrowing from Old French caverneux or Latin cavernōsus (“full of hollows or cavities”), from caverna (“a hollow, cavity, cave”) + -ōsus (“-ous, -ose”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to cavern + -ous. The correct English form is cavernous, spelled C-A-V-E-R-N-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Resembling a cavern in size, shape, or atmosphere.
  2. 2
    Resembling a cavern in size, shape, or atmosphere.
  3. 3
    Having many caverns.
  4. 4
    Having many caverns.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The last stop on the West Coast Main Line before you cross the border into Scotland, the strategically placed Carlisle Citadel is a station steeped in history. Opened on September 1 1847, the cavernous station was once home to seven railway companies in the pre-Grouping years.
  2. cavernous eyes

Etymology

Late Middle English cavernous, cavernose, borrowing from Old French caverneux or Latin cavernōsus (“full of hollows or cavities”), from caverna (“a hollow, cavity, cave”) + -ōsus (“-ous, -ose”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to cavern + -ous.

This word in other languages

cavernoso(Español)caverneux(Français)cavernoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acvernous
  • caevrnous
  • cavenrous
  • cavernnous
  • cavernosu
  • cavernouss
  • cavernuos
  • caveronus
  • caverrnous
  • cavrenous
  • cavvernous
  • ccavernous
  • cvaernous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acvernous2caevrnous2cavenrous2cavernnous1cavernosu2cavernouss1cavernuos2caveronus2
Edit distance from "cavernous"

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 "cavernous"?
"cavernous" is spelled C-A-V-E-R-N-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkav.ən.əs/.
What does "cavernous" mean?
As an adjective, "cavernous" means: Resembling a cavern in size, shape, or atmosphere.
What words are commonly confused with "cavernous"?
"cavernous" is commonly confused with "caverns". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cavernous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cavernous" is /ˈkav.ən.əs/. 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 "cavernous"?
Late Middle English cavernous, cavernose, borrowing from Old French caverneux or Latin cavernōsus (“full of hollows or cavities”), from caverna (“a hollow, cavity, cave”) + -ōsus (“-ous, -ose”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to cavern + -ous. 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 "cavernous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

chaperone#39,244brainless#39,221barbarism#39,204darkening#39,276

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

clutched13 variantsblissfully13 variantscrunches13 variantsdecompose13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list