# colon vs colonel

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### colon
*noun · IPA /ˈkəʊ.lən/ · frequency rank #12,945*
The punctuation mark ⟨:⟩.

### colonel
*noun · IPA /ˈkɜː.nl̩/ · frequency rank #3,547*
A commissioned officer in an armed military organization, typically the highest rank before flag officer ranks (generals). It is generally found in armies, air forces or naval infantry (marines).

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/colon-vs-colonel