cannula
/ˈkænjʊlə/
"cannula" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cannula” is uncommon English (frequency #55,990 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #55,990
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A tube inserted into the body to drain or inject fluid.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cannula |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkænjʊlə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #55,990 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cannula” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cannula is uncommon English at frequency #55,990 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkænjʊlə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for cannula in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin cannula, canula (“tubular surgical instrument”), from Latin cannula (“reed; small reed- or tube-shaped object”), from canna (“cane; reed; object made from or shaped like a cane or reed”) + -ula (feminine form of -ulus (diminutive su… The correct English form is cannula, spelled C-A-N-N-U-L-A.
Definition
- 1A tube inserted into the body to drain or inject fluid.
- 2A hose or tube that connects directly from an oxygen bottle or other source to the user's nose, commonly used by aircraft pilots or others needing direct oxygen breathing apparatus.
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin cannula, canula (“tubular surgical instrument”), from Latin cannula (“reed; small reed- or tube-shaped object”), from canna (“cane; reed; object made from or shaped like a cane or reed”) + -ula (feminine form of -ulus (diminutive suffix). Canna is derived from Ancient Greek κᾰ́ννᾱ (kắnnā, “reed”), from Akkadian 𒂵𒉡𒌑𒌝 (qanûm, “cane; reed”). The plural form cannulae is borrowed from Late Latin cannulae.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “cannula”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-N-N-U-L-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkænjʊlə/ (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
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.