cap

\kap\

/\kap\/ noun

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

The verdict

“cap” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #2,029) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#2,029
frequency rank, French
8,609
“C” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Pointe de terre qui s’avance dans la mer.

Corpus desk

Index FR-cap · cap · French

cap · rank #2,029 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,029
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,609
  • PHOTO-FINISH cabinet

Nearest frequency peer: cabinet (-1 rank slots)

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 neighbourhood for “cap”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “cap” sits against the nearest ranked French headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

cap vs ce
33% similar
cap vs ci
33% similar
cap vs co
33% similar

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

Key facts for cap
PropertyValue
Headwordcap
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kap\
Letters3
Frequency rank#2,029
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cap” sits in French 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). cap lands here:

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

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

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for cap is neighbouring look-alikes ("ce", "ci", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced \kap\. Frequency #2,029 among 8,609 “C” headwords. 8 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for cap in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ce", "ci", "co", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is cap, spelled C-A-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pointe de terre qui s’avance dans la mer.
  2. 2
    Tête.
  3. 3
    Proue, de l’avant d’un bâtiment, considéré par rapport à la direction qu’on lui donne quand on navigue.
  4. 4
    Direction dans laquelle est orienté un bateau ou un aéronef en mouvement. A ne pas confondre avec la direction de la route, qui prend en compte la dérive.
  5. 5
    Direction dans laquelle on fait du chemin, cible.
  6. 6
    Direction dans laquelle on fait du chemin, cible.
  7. 7
    Direction dans laquelle on fait du chemin, cible.
  8. 8
    Étape symbolique d’un processus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Une théorie de grands ice-bergs, vraisemblablement échoués, prolongeaient le cap que nous devions doubler.
  2. C’est un roc !… C’est un pic !… C’est un cap !… Que dis-je, c’est un cap ?… C’est une péninsule !

This word in other languages

cape(English)cabo(Español)Kap(Deutsch)cabo(Português)

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

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cap"?
"cap" is spelled C-A-P. The IPA pronunciation is \kap\.
What does "cap" mean?
As a noun, "cap" means: Pointe de terre qui s’avance dans la mer.
What words are commonly confused with "cap"?
"cap" is commonly confused with "ce", "ci", "co". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cap"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cap" is \kap\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cap" come from?
"cap" is a French 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.

Similar French words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cap", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked French headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

net#2,003clé#1,987for#2,077duc#2,118

What to do next

You've looked up "cap". Here's where to go from here.

  • "cap" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "ce". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #2,029 among French headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more French words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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