cavort
/kəˈvɔɹt/verb
cavort is spelled C-A-V-O-R-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, cavort means “To prance, frolic, gambol” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in cavort?
| Letters | 6: C-A-V-O-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 131,834th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is cavort?
Cavort appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 131,834th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cavort?
- UK /kəˈvɔːt/
- US /kəˈvɔɹt/
- Australia /kəˈvoːt/
Cavort has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cavort.ogg, En-au-cavort.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with cavort?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as cavort from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹt/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of cavort
- cavorts present, singular, he/she/it
- cavorting participle, present
- cavorted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cavort mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To prance, frolic, gambol.
- 2
To move about carelessly, playfully or boisterously.
- 3
informalTo engage in extravagant pursuits, especially of a sexual nature.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cavort in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense move/play boisterously:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cabrioler |
| German | herumtollen, herumtanzen |
| Portuguese | curvetear |
| Spanish | retozar, juguetear |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cavort come from?
Originated in the United States in 1793, as cauvaut, applying to horses, probably from the colloquial intensifying prefix ca-/ka- + vault (“jump, leap”); later generalized. Early sources connect it to cavault, a term for a certain demeanor of horses. Alternatively, a variation of curvet.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).