candle

/ˈkændl̩/

//ˈkændl̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“candle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,520. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,520
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such as wax, tallow, or paraffin.

Corpus desk

Index EN-candle · candle · English

candle · rank #8,520 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,520
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH bunny

Nearest frequency peer: bunny (-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 “candle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “candle” 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).

candle vs cane
67% similar
candle vs candy
67% similar
candle vs canoe
67% similar

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

Key facts for candle
PropertyValue
Headwordcandle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkændl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,520
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “candle”

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).candlelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “bunny” (#8,519), “carved” (#8,521), “Bt” (#8,518). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “candle” is #8,520. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around candle (IPA /ˈkændl̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,520 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for candle, with forms such as "acndle", "cadnle", and "canddle". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cane", "candy", "canoe", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English candel, from Old English candel (“candle”), borrowed from Latin candēla (“candle”), from Latin candeō (“be white, bright, shining”, verb); see candid. Doublet of candela and chandelle. The correct English form is candle, spelled C-A-N-D-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such as wax, tallow, or paraffin.
  2. 2
    The protruding, removable portion of a filter, particularly a water filter.
  3. 3
    A unit of luminous intensity, now replaced by the SI unit candela.
  4. 4
    A fast-growing, light-colored, upward-growing shoot on a pine tree in the spring. As growth slows in summer, the shoot darkens and is no longer conspicuous.
  5. 5
    Indicates how high or low church something is by height on the candle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. light a candle
  2. blow out the candles on the birthday cake

Etymology

From Middle English candel, from Old English candel (“candle”), borrowed from Latin candēla (“candle”), from Latin candeō (“be white, bright, shining”, verb); see candid. Doublet of candela and chandelle.

This word in other languages

vela(Español)bougie(Français)Kerze(Deutsch)vela(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • acndle
  • cadnle
  • canddle
  • candel
  • candlle
  • canlde
  • canndle
  • ccandle
  • cnadle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of candle - 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.

acndle2cadnle2canddle1candel2candlle1canlde2canndle1ccandle1
Edit distance from "candle"

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 "candle"?
"candle" is spelled C-A-N-D-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkændl̩/.
What does "candle" mean?
As a noun, "candle" means: A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such as wax, tallow, or paraffin.
What words are commonly confused with "candle"?
"candle" is commonly confused with "cane", "candy", "canoe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "candle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "candle" is /ˈkændl̩/. 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 "candle"?
From Middle English candel, from Old English candel (“candle”), borrowed from Latin candēla (“candle”), from Latin candeō (“be white, bright, shining”, verb); see candid. Doublet of candela and chandelle. 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 "candle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

carved#8,521bomber#8,517clutch#8,523Andrea#8,509

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

accepts9 variantsyields9 variantstraces9 variantsghosts9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list