cajole

/kəˈdʒəʊl/

//kəˈdʒəʊl// verb

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

"cajole" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cajole” is uncommon English (frequency #75,697 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,697
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, especially by flattery or promises; to coax.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cajole · cajole · English

cajole · rank #75,697 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,697
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH caesium

Nearest frequency peer: caesium (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

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.

Long-tail ranks near “cajole”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cajole” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cajole
PropertyValue
Headwordcajole
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəˈdʒəʊl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#75,697
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cajole” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cajolefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “caesium” (#75,696), “candela” (#75,699), “BYOB” (#75,694). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cajole” is #75,697. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cajole is uncommon English at frequency #75,697 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /kəˈdʒəʊl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, especially by flattery or promises; to coax.".

Zero misspellings are on record for cajole in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French cajoler, probably a blend of Middle French cageoler (“chatter like a jay”) (from gajole, dialectal diminutive of geai (“jaybird”)) + Old French gaioler (“entice into a cage”), which is from Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late Latin caveol… The correct English form is cajole, spelled C-A-J-O-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, especially by flattery or promises; to coax.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Then he Cajol'd vvith his Brother, and perſvvaded him vvhat Service he had done him, […]
  2. If you are cajoled by the cunning arguments of a trumpeter of heresy, or the praises of a puritanic old woman, is not that womanish?

Etymology

Borrowed from French cajoler, probably a blend of Middle French cageoler (“chatter like a jay”) (from gajole, dialectal diminutive of geai (“jaybird”)) + Old French gaioler (“entice into a cage”), which is from Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late Latin caveola (whence English caveola), diminutive of Latin cavea (“cage, coop, enclosure, stall”). More at cage, cave, cavum, cavus, and jail.

This word in other languages

engatusar(Español)beschwatzen(Deutsch)lisonjear(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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cajole"?
"cajole" is spelled C-A-J-O-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈdʒəʊl/.
What does "cajole" mean?
As a verb, "cajole" means: To persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, especially by flattery or promises; to coax.
How do you pronounce "cajole"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cajole" is /kəˈdʒəʊl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "cajole"?
Borrowed from French cajoler, probably a blend of Middle French cageoler (“chatter like a jay”) (from gajole, dialectal diminutive of geai (“jaybird”)) + Old French gaioler (“entice into a cage”), which is from Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late La... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

caribe#75,702bursar#75,690carvel#75,706brushy#75,686

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list