CV

noun

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

"cv" is a 2-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“CV” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #12,748) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#12,748
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Initialism of curriculum vitae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cv · CV · English

CV · rank #12,748 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,748
  • LEN-SHORT 2 letters
  • VOW-0 0 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crank

Nearest frequency peer: crank (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “CV”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “CV” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

CV vs CW
50% similar
CV vs CX
50% similar
CV vs cz
0% similar

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

Key facts for CV
PropertyValue
HeadwordCV
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters2
Frequency rank#12,748
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “CV”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).CVlands 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 “crank” (#12,747), “Dante” (#12,749), “courthouse” (#12,746). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “CV” is #12,748. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for CV is neighbouring look-alikes ("CW", "CX", …), not just typos; it is anoun. Frequency #12,748 among 5,599 “C” headwords. 19 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No generated misspelling entries exist for CV in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CW", "CX", "cz", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Abbreviation. * (anime, Japanimation): From Japanese CV (CV), from English character+voice * (aircraft carrier): Initialism of cruiser (“croiseur”) + French voler (“to fly”). The correct English form is CV, spelled C-V.

Definition

  1. 1
    Initialism of curriculum vitae.
  2. 2
    Initialism of combat vehicle.
  3. 3
    Initialism of construction vessel
  4. 4
    Initialism of container vessel; a container ship
  5. 5
    Initialism of commercial vehicle
  6. 6
    Abbreviation of cellevision.
  7. 7
    Initialism of catalog value.
  8. 8
    Initialism of character's voice (“voice actor”).
  9. 9
    Initialism of cardinal vowel.
  10. 10
    aircraft carrier (“Cruiser Voler”), a diesel-powered warship launching and landing heavier than air flying vehicles (a nuclear-powered one is a CVN)
  11. 11
    Initialism of cataclysmic variable.
  12. 12
    Initialism of countervailing.
  13. 13
    Initialism of cross-validation.
  14. 14
    Initialism of coronavirus.
  15. 15
    Initialism of cytolytic vaginosis.
  16. 16
    Initialism of constant velocity.
  17. 17
    Initialism of constant velocity.
  18. 18
    Initialism of computer vision.
  19. 19
    Initialism of cock vore.

Etymology

Abbreviation. * (anime, Japanimation): From Japanese CV (CV), from English character+voice * (aircraft carrier): Initialism of cruiser (“croiseur”) + French voler (“to fly”).

This word in other languages

cv(Español)CV(Français)

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 "CV"?
"CV" is spelled C-V.
What does "CV" mean?
As a noun, "CV" means: Initialism of curriculum vitae.
What words are commonly confused with "CV"?
"CV" is commonly confused with "CW", "CX", "cz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "CV"?
Abbreviation. * (anime, Japanimation): From Japanese CV (CV), from English character+voice * (aircraft carrier): Initialism of cruiser (“croiseur”) + French voler (“to fly”). 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list