call

/kɔːl/

//kɔːl// verb

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

"call" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“call” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #287) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#287
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To reach out with one's voice.

Corpus desk

Index EN-call · call · English

call · rank #287 · 3 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #287
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 3 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 43,570
  • PHOTO-FINISH believe

Nearest frequency peer: believe (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “call”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “call” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

call vs Cl
25% similar
call vs can
50% similar
call vs car
50% similar

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

Key facts for call
PropertyValue
Headwordcall
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kɔːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#287
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “call” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). call lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for call is neighbouring look-alikes ("Cl", "can", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /kɔːl/. Frequency #287 among 43,570 “C” headwords. 32 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for call, with forms such as "acll", "ccall", and "clal". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Cl", "can", "car", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English callen, from Old English ċeallian (“to call, shout”) and Old Norse kalla (“to call; shout; refer to as; name”); both from Proto-Germanic *kalzōną (“to call, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *golH-so- (“voice, cry”), from *gel(H)- (“to v… The correct English form is call, spelled C-A-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    To reach out with one's voice.
  2. 2
    To reach out with one's voice.
  3. 3
    To reach out with one's voice.
  4. 4
    To reach out with one's voice.
  5. 5
    To reach out with one's voice.
  6. 6
    To reach out with one's voice.
  7. 7
    To reach out with one's voice.
  8. 8
    To visit.
  9. 9
    To visit.
  10. 10
    To visit.
  11. 11
    To name, identify, or describe.
  12. 12
    To name, identify, or describe.
  13. 13
    To name, identify, or describe.
  14. 14
    To name, identify, or describe.
  15. 15
    To name, identify, or describe.
  16. 16
    To declare, or declare in favor of, a predicted or actual result.
  17. 17
    To declare, or declare in favor of, a predicted or actual result.
  18. 18
    To declare, or declare in favor of, a predicted or actual result.
  19. 19
    To declare, or declare in favor of, a predicted or actual result.
  20. 20
    To declare, or declare in favor of, a predicted or actual result.
  21. 21
    Direct or indirect use of the voice.
  22. 22
    Direct or indirect use of the voice.
  23. 23
    Direct or indirect use of the voice.
  24. 24
    Direct or indirect use of the voice.
  25. 25
    Direct or indirect use of the voice.
  26. 26
    Direct or indirect use of the voice.
  27. 27
    To require, demand.
  28. 28
    To cause to be verbally subjected to.
  29. 29
    To lay claim to an object or role which is up for grabs.
  30. 30
    To announce the early extinction of a debt by prepayment, usually at a premium.
  31. 31
    To demand repayment of a loan.
  32. 32
    To jump to (another part of a program); to perform some operation, returning to the original point on completion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. That person is hurt; call for help!
  2. So they called for Rooms; and he ſhewed them one for Christiana and her Children and Mercy, and another for Mr. Great-heart and the old Gentleman.

Etymology

From Middle English callen, from Old English ċeallian (“to call, shout”) and Old Norse kalla (“to call; shout; refer to as; name”); both from Proto-Germanic *kalzōną (“to call, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *golH-so- (“voice, cry”), from *gel(H)- (“to vocalize, call, shout”). Cognates * Scots call, caw, ca (“to call, cry, shout”) * Dutch kallen (“to chat, talk”) * German Low German kallen (“to speak, talk”) * German kallen (“to call”) * Swedish kalla (“to call, refer to, beckon”) * Norwegian kalle (“to call, name”) * Danish kalde (“to call, name”) * Icelandic kalla (“to call, shout, name”) * Welsh galw (“to call, demand”) * Polish głos (“voice”) * Lithuanian gal̃sas (“echo”) * Russian голос (golos, “voice”) * Albanian gjuhë (“language, tongue”).

This word in other languages

llamar(Español)appeler(Français)rufen(Deutsch)chamar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acll
  • ccall
  • clal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of call - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

acll2ccall1clal2
Edit distance from "call"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "call"?
"call" is spelled C-A-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔːl/.
What does "call" mean?
As a verb, "call" means: To reach out with one's voice.
What words are commonly confused with "call"?
"call" is commonly confused with "Cl", "can", "car". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "call"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "call" is /kɔːl/. 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 "call"?
From Middle English callen, from Old English ċeallian (“to call, shout”) and Old Norse kalla (“to call; shout; refer to as; name”); both from Proto-Germanic *kalzōną (“to call, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *golH-so- (“voice, cry”), from *gel(... 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 "call", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

head#288stop#283took#292seen#281
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list