Cache Is Pronounced Like Cash
A cache is a hidden store. Despite the spelling it rhymes with cash, and it is not related to the money word at all.
A cache is a hidden store of supplies, or in computing a small fast memory holding recently used data. It is pronounced exactly like *cash*, not ka-shay: the final e is French spelling, not a syllable. The confusion is so common that *cachet*, a genuinely two-syllable word meaning prestige, gets blamed for it. The word came into English through Canadian fur traders, who cached supplies for the return journey.
- A hidden store. *A cache of weapons.*
- Fast computer memory. *Clear the cache.*
- To hide away. *They cached the food.*
- Cachet — prestige, two syllables. *A certain cachet.*
- Geocaching — the outdoor hunting game. *We went geocaching.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cache | A hidden cache. |
| Plural | caches | Several caches. |
| Verb | cache | Cache the file. |
| Adjective | cached | A cached page. |
| Different word | cachet | Social cachet. |
- Police found a cache of stolen goods.Hidden store.
- Clear your browser cache.Computing.
- The label carries a certain cachet.A different word: prestige.
Cache, cash, cachet
- Cache — a hidden store, said like cash
- Cash — money, from an Italian word for a money box
- Cachet — prestige, said ka-SHAY
- No shared origin between cache and cash
- Geocache — a container hidden for others to find by coordinates
French *cache*, from *cacher*, to hide, from Latin *coactare*, to constrain. English recorded it around 1800 from Canadian French.
How do you pronounce cache?
Exactly like cash. The two-syllable pronunciation belongs to cachet, a different word meaning prestige.
What does clearing the cache do?
It deletes the stored copies of recently used data so the program fetches fresh versions.