cannula

/ˈkænjʊlə/

//ˈkænjʊlə// noun

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

"cannula" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cannula” is uncommon English (frequency #55,990 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#55,990
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A tube inserted into the body to drain or inject fluid.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cannula · cannula · English

cannula · rank #55,990 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #55,990
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH candelabra

Nearest frequency peer: candelabra (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “cannula”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cannula” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cannula
PropertyValue
Headwordcannula
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkænjʊlə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#55,990
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cannula” in English

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).cannulafalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “candelabra” (#55,989), “calyx” (#55,987), “Cantrell” (#55,993). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cannula” is #55,990. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cannula is uncommon English at frequency #55,990 among 5,599 “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

  1. 1
    A tube inserted into the body to drain or inject fluid.
  2. 2
    A 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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Two or three cannulæ are requisite also for washing out the sinuses.
  2. The cannula had come askew in his nose and he pushed it straight, his hand moving slowly, like the hand of a man who is dreaming with his eyes open.

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

cánula(Español)canule(Français)Kanüle(Deutsch)

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 "cannula"?
"cannula" is spelled C-A-N-N-U-L-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkænjʊlə/.
What does "cannula" mean?
As a noun, "cannula" means: A tube inserted into the body to drain or inject fluid.
How do you pronounce "cannula"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cannula" is /ˈkænjʊlə/. 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 "cannula"?
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 (dim... 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 "cannula", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Cagayan#55,983Chauhan#56,007brandis#55,971Chronos#56,009

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list