callow

/ˈkæləʊ/

//ˈkæləʊ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“callow” is an uncommon English word, ranked #55,303 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#55,303
frequency rank, English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a person: having no hair; bald, bare, hairless.

Key facts for callow
PropertyValue
Headwordcallow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkæləʊ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#55,303
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “callow” 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). callow lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for callow is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkæləʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #55,303 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

callow doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. 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: From Middle English calwe (“(adjective) bald; (noun) bald person”), from Old English calu, caluw (“without hair, bald, callow”), from Proto-West Germanic *kalu, from Proto-Germanic *kalwaz (“bald; bare, naked”), and then either: * from Proto-Indo-European *… The correct English form is callow, spelled C-A-L-L-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a person: having no hair; bald, bare, hairless.
  2. 2
    Of a brick: unburnt.
  3. 3
    Of a young bird, or (part of) its body: having not developed feathers yet; featherless, unfledged; hence, of other animals or their bodies: having no fur or hair; furless, hairless, unfurred.
  4. 4
    Of a young bird, or (part of) its body: having not developed feathers yet; featherless, unfledged; hence, of other animals or their bodies: having no fur or hair; furless, hairless, unfurred.
  5. 5
    In the life cycle of an animal: newly born or hatched; juvenile.
  6. 6
    Synonym of teneral (“of certain insects or other arthropods such as spiders: lacking colour or firmness just after ecdysis (“shedding of the exoskeleton”)”).
  7. 7
    Of land: having no vegetation; bare.

Etymology

From Middle English calwe (“(adjective) bald; (noun) bald person”), from Old English calu, caluw (“without hair, bald, callow”), from Proto-West Germanic *kalu, from Proto-Germanic *kalwaz (“bald; bare, naked”), and then either: * from Proto-Indo-European *gol(H)-wo- (“bald; bare, naked”), from *gelH- (“head; naked”); or * from Latin calvus (“bald”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kl̥H- (“bald; naked”). If not borrowed from Latin, Grimm’s law indicates that the Latin word is likely a false cognate, along with Persian کل (kal) and Sanskrit कुल्व (kulvá). cognates * Dutch kaal (“bald”) * German kahl (“bald”) * German Low German kahl (“bald”) * Russian го́лый (gólyj, “bare, naked, nude”) * Swedish kal, kalka (“bald”) * West Frisian keal (“bald”)

This word in other languages

inmaduro(Español)grün(Deutsch)imaturo(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 "callow"?
"callow" is spelled C-A-L-L-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæləʊ/.
What does "callow" mean?
As an adjective, "callow" means: Of a person: having no hair; bald, bare, hairless.
How do you pronounce "callow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "callow" is /ˈkæləʊ/. 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 "callow"?
From Middle English calwe (“(adjective) bald; (noun) bald person”), from Old English calu, caluw (“without hair, bald, callow”), from Proto-West Germanic *kalu, from Proto-Germanic *kalwaz (“bald; bare, naked”), and then either: * from Proto-Indo-... 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.

Using “callow”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-A-L-L-O-W - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkæləʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list