calico

/ˈkæ.lɪ.kəʊ/

//ˈkæ.lɪ.kəʊ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“calico” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,552. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,552
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.

Corpus desk

Index EN-calico · calico · English

calico · rank #33,552 · 8 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,552
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cabernet

Nearest frequency peer: cabernet (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “calico”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “calico” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

calico vs Clio
50% similar
calico vs click
67% similar
calico vs chico
67% similar

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

Key facts for calico
PropertyValue
Headwordcalico
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæ.lɪ.kəʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#33,552
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “calico”

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).calicolands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “cabernet” (#33,551), “Camus” (#33,553), “Byrnes” (#33,550). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “calico” is #33,552. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around calico (IPA /ˈkæ.lɪ.kəʊ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,552 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for calico, with forms such as "aclico", "cailco", and "calcio". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "Clio", "click", "chico", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Calicut, from where the cloth was originally exported, from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭŭ, “Kozhikode”), from കോഴി (kōḻi, “palace”) + കോട് (kōṭŭ, “fortified palace”). The correct English form is calico, spelled C-A-L-I-C-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of calico cat.
  3. 3
    The plant disease caused by Tobacco mosaic virus.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This helix was covered with calico, and then a second wire applied in the same manner.
  2. Trussed in corsets, jawbone-high collars and calicos that had seen better days, they have little enough to work with, their attempts at coquetry further constrained by their rigid mores of the day.

Etymology

From Calicut, from where the cloth was originally exported, from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭŭ, “Kozhikode”), from കോഴി (kōḻi, “palace”) + കോട് (kōṭŭ, “fortified palace”).

This word in other languages

calicó(Español)calicot(Français)Kattun(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aclico
  • cailco
  • calcio
  • calicco
  • calioc
  • callico
  • ccalico
  • claico

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of calico - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aclico2cailco2calcio2calicco1calioc2callico1ccalico1claico2
Edit distance from "calico"

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 "calico"?
"calico" is spelled C-A-L-I-C-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæ.lɪ.kəʊ/.
What does "calico" mean?
As a noun, "calico" means: A kind of rough cloth made from unbleached and not fully processed cotton, often printed with a bright pattern.
What words are commonly confused with "calico"?
"calico" is commonly confused with "Clio", "click", "chico". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "calico"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "calico" is /ˈkæ.lɪ.kəʊ/. 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 "calico"?
From Calicut, from where the cloth was originally exported, from Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട് (kōḻikkōṭŭ, “Kozhikode”), from കോഴി (kōḻi, “palace”) + കോട് (kōṭŭ, “fortified palace”). 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 "calico", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Byrnes#33,550bluish#33,538cleats#33,574clingy#33,577

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

attuned8 variantsassessor8 variantsamigos8 variantsairman8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list