calorie
/ˈkæləɹi/
"calorie" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“calorie” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,112 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #13,112
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A non-SI unit of energy, equivalent to 4.184 kilojoules, that can raise the temperature of a kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. This is the unit normally used in food labeling.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | calorie |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkæləɹi/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #13,112 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “calorie” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for calorie is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkæləɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,112 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for calorie, with forms such as "aclorie", "callorie", and "caloire". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Carrie", "chlorine", "chloride", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French calorie, formed from Latin calor. It was originally defined as the large calorie in the early 19th century, with the small calorie being defined some decades later. The correct English form is calorie, spelled C-A-L-O-R-I-E.
Definition
- 1A non-SI unit of energy, equivalent to 4.184 kilojoules, that can raise the temperature of a kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. This is the unit normally used in food labeling.
- 2A non-SI unit of energy, equivalent to 4.184 joules, that can raise the temperature of a gram of water by one degree Celsius. This unit was formerly widely used in chemistry and physics.
Etymology
Borrowed from French calorie, formed from Latin calor. It was originally defined as the large calorie in the early 19th century, with the small calorie being defined some decades later.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aclorie,callorie,caloire,calorei,calorrie,calroie,caolrie,ccalorie,claorie
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of calorie - 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.
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 "calorie"?
What does "calorie" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "calorie"?
How do you pronounce "calorie"?
What is the origin of the word "calorie"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “calorie”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-L-O-R-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkæləɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “Carrie” - see the side-by-side comparison. calorie vs Carrie
- 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.