Cache vs. cachet

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Grammarist

A cache is (1) a hiding place used for storing provisions or valuables, or (2) a concealed collection of valuable things. The word also functions as a verb meaning to hide or store in a cache. Cachet refers to (1) a mark or indication of superior status, or (2) prestige. The word is is usually a mass noun (meaning it is treated as a quantity and can’t be pluralized), but it’s a count noun in some rarer senses.

Examples

It was the single largest cache of prehistoric watercraft ever discovered. [Wall Street Journal]

It might not have the cachet of Tuscany, but that may be why this region along the Adriatic is still able to offer wines at bargain deals. [Edmonton Journal]

After the bomber detonated his cache of explosives, two other militants stormed inside the hotel. [Scotsman]

Nordic crime fiction carries a more respectable cachet – justifiably or otherwise – than similar genre fiction produced in Britain or the US. [Independent]

The explosive detection dogs are the best way of detecting improvised explosive devices and Taliban weapons caches. [Canberra Times]

Beijing would love to wield the cachet that American culture commands, but experts say it can’t as long as its authoritarian leaders call the shots. [Los Angeles Times]

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