capsule
/ˈkæps(ə)l/
"capsule" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“capsule” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,176 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #11,176
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A membranous envelope.
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 | capsule |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkæps(ə)l/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #11,176 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “capsule” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for capsule is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkæps(ə)l/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,176 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for capsule, with forms such as "acpsule", "cappsule", and "capslue". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "castle", "capture", "capable", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French capsule, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa (“box”). The correct English form is capsule, spelled C-A-P-S-U-L-E.
Definition
- 1A membranous envelope.
- 2A type of simple, dehiscent, dry fruit (seed-case) produced by many species of flowering plants, such as poppy, lily, orchid, willow and cotton.
- 3A sporangium, especially in bryophytes.
- 4A tough, fibrous layer surrounding an organ such as the kidney or liver
- 5A membrane that surrounds the eyeball
- 6A detachable part of a rocket or spacecraft (usually in the nose) containing the crew's living space.
- 7A small container containing a dose of medicine.
- 8in a brief, condensed or compact form
- 9The covering — formerly lead or tin, now often plastic — over the cork at the top of the wine bottle.
- 10A small clay saucer for roasting or melting samples of ores, etc.; a scorifier.
- 11A small, shallow evaporating dish, usually of porcelain.
- 12A small cup or shell, often of metal, for a percussion cap, cartridge, etc.
- 13One of the very small rooms for guests in a capsule hotel.
Etymology
Borrowed from French capsule, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa (“box”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: acpsule,cappsule,capslue,capssule,capsuel,capsulle,capusle,caspule,ccapsule,cpasule
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of capsule - 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
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Using “capsule”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-P-S-U-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkæps(ə)l/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “castle” - see the side-by-side comparison. capsule vs castle
- 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.