cavil

/ˈkæv.əl/

//ˈkæv.əl// verb

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

"cavil" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cavil” is uncommon English (frequency #90,269 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#90,269
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To criticise for petty or frivolous reasons.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cavil · cavil · English

cavil · rank #90,269 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #90,269
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cauterize

Nearest frequency peer: cauterize (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “cavil”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cavil” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cavil
PropertyValue
Headwordcavil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈkæv.əl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#90,269
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cavil” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cavilfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “cauterize” (#90,268), “catena” (#90,266), “chanter” (#90,272). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cavil” is #90,269. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cavil is uncommon English at frequency #90,269 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈkæv.əl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To criticise for petty or frivolous reasons.".

Zero misspellings are on record for cavil in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French caviller (“mock, jest, rail”), from Latin cavillor (“jeer, mock, satirise, reason captiously”), from cavilla (“jeering, raillery, scoffing”); cognate with Italian cavillare, Portuguese cavillar, and Spanish cavilar; nominal usage developed w… The correct English form is cavil, spelled C-A-V-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To criticise for petty or frivolous reasons.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 'Tis love you cavil at: I am not Love.
  2. Stranleigh found no difficulty in getting a cavalcade together at Bleacher’s station, an amazingly long distance west of New York. A man finds little trouble in obtaining what he wants, if he never cavils at the price asked, and is willing to pay in advance.

Etymology

From Old French caviller (“mock, jest, rail”), from Latin cavillor (“jeer, mock, satirise, reason captiously”), from cavilla (“jeering, raillery, scoffing”); cognate with Italian cavillare, Portuguese cavillar, and Spanish cavilar; nominal usage developed within English from the original verbal usage.

This word in other languages

chicaner(Français)nörgeln(Deutsch)

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 "cavil"?
"cavil" is spelled C-A-V-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæv.əl/.
What does "cavil" mean?
As a verb, "cavil" means: To criticise for petty or frivolous reasons.
How do you pronounce "cavil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cavil" is /ˈkæv.əl/. 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 "cavil"?
From Old French caviller (“mock, jest, rail”), from Latin cavillor (“jeer, mock, satirise, reason captiously”), from cavilla (“jeering, raillery, scoffing”); cognate with Italian cavillare, Portuguese cavillar, and Spanish cavilar; nominal usage d... 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 "cavil", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Calvi#90,250bronc#90,230Coren#90,312booke#90,221

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list