capsule

/ˈkæps(ə)l/

//ˈkæps(ə)l// noun

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

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

The verdict

“capsule” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,176. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,176
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A membranous envelope.

Corpus desk

Index EN-capsule · capsule · English

capsule · rank #11,176 · 10 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,176
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH bracelet

Nearest frequency peer: bracelet (-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 “capsule”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “capsule” 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).

capsule vs castle
71% similar
capsule vs capture
71% similar
capsule vs capable
71% similar

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

Key facts for capsule
PropertyValue
Headwordcapsule
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkæps(ə)l/
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,176
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “capsule”

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).capsulelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “bracelet” (#11,175), “captive” (#11,177), “boulevard” (#11,174). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “capsule” is #11,176. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around capsule (IPA /ˈkæps(ə)l/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,176 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    A membranous envelope.
  2. 2
    A type of simple, dehiscent, dry fruit (seed-case) produced by many species of flowering plants, such as poppy, lily, orchid, willow and cotton.
  3. 3
    A sporangium, especially in bryophytes.
  4. 4
    A tough, fibrous layer surrounding an organ such as the kidney or liver
  5. 5
    A membrane that surrounds the eyeball
  6. 6
    A detachable part of a rocket or spacecraft (usually in the nose) containing the crew's living space.
  7. 7
    A small container containing a dose of medicine.
  8. 8
    in a brief, condensed or compact form
  9. 9
    The covering — formerly lead or tin, now often plastic — over the cork at the top of the wine bottle.
  10. 10
    A small clay saucer for roasting or melting samples of ores, etc.; a scorifier.
  11. 11
    A small, shallow evaporating dish, usually of porcelain.
  12. 12
    A small cup or shell, often of metal, for a percussion cap, cartridge, etc.
  13. 13
    One of the very small rooms for guests in a capsule hotel.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The epidermal cells of the capsule wall of Jubulopsis, with nodose "trigones" at the angles, are very reminiscent of what one finds in Frullania spp.
  2. If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred.

Etymology

Borrowed from French capsule, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa (“box”).

This word in other languages

cápsula(Español)capsule(Français)Kapsel(Deutsch)cápsula(Português)

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.

acpsule2cappsule1capslue2capssule1capsuel2capsulle1capusle2caspule2
Edit distance from "capsule"

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 "capsule"?
"capsule" is spelled C-A-P-S-U-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkæps(ə)l/.
What does "capsule" mean?
As a noun, "capsule" means: A membranous envelope.
What words are commonly confused with "capsule"?
"capsule" is commonly confused with "castle", "capture", "capable". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "capsule"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "capsule" is /ˈkæps(ə)l/. 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 "capsule"?
Borrowed from French capsule, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa (“box”). 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 "capsule", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

captive#11,177bananas#11,166appoint#11,163winding#11,155

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

cinnamon10 variantswildly10 variantsdietary10 variantsemission10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list