café

[kaˈfe]

/[kaˈfe]/ noun

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

The verdict

“café” has 5 generated spelling variants in the Spanish index at frequency #1,337. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,337
frequency rank, Spanish
77,812
“C” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Semilla del fruto del cafeto, rica en el estimulante cafeína, que se emplea tostada y molida para preparar una bebida con estas propiedades que se consume en casi todo el mundo. Es el segundo produ...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

café vs ce
25% similar
café vs che
25% similar
café vs can
50% similar

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

Key facts for café
PropertyValue
Headwordcafé
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[kaˈfe]
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,337
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “café” sits in Spanish frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around café (IPA [kaˈfe]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,337 among 77,812 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for café, with forms such as "acfé", "caffé", and "caéf". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ce", "che", "can", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct Spanish form is café, spelled C-A-F-É.

Definition

  1. 1
    Semilla del fruto del cafeto, rica en el estimulante cafeína, que se emplea tostada y molida para preparar una bebida con estas propiedades que se consume en casi todo el mundo. Es el segundo producto en volumen en el comercio internacional, solo superado por el petróleo.
  2. 2
    Este mismo producto, tostado y molido, listo para su empleo en gastronomía.
  3. 3
    Bebida de color pardo muy oscuro y efecto estimulante y vasoconstrictor realizada por la infusión de esta molienda.
  4. 4
    Establecimiento gastronómico destinado al despacho de bebidas y alimentos ligeros.
  5. 5
    Color castaño muy oscuro, similar al de esta infusión o al del chocolate. :* Color:

Synonyms

cafeteríaconfiteríasalón de té

This word in other languages

coffee(English)café(Français)Kaffee(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acfé
  • caffé
  • caéf
  • ccafé
  • cfaé

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

acfé2caffé1caéf2ccafé1cfaé2
Edit distance from "café"

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "café"?
"café" is spelled C-A-F-É. The IPA pronunciation is [kaˈfe].
What does "café" mean?
As a noun, "café" means: Semilla del fruto del cafeto, rica en el estimulante cafeína, que se emplea tostada y molida para preparar una bebida con estas propiedades que se consume en casi todo el mundo. Es el segundo produ...
What words are commonly confused with "café"?
"café" is commonly confused with "ce", "che", "can". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "café"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "café" is [kaˈfe]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "café" come from?
"café" is a Spanish word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “café”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is C-A-F-É - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [kaˈfe] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ce” - see the side-by-side comparison. café vs ce
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words

Same frequency band

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list