English Word Reference Free

capsule

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

7 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "capsule", 7-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "capsule" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "capsule" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

capsule is aEnglishnoun. It means: A membranous envelope. Pronounced /ˈkæps(ə)l/. Often confused with castle and capture.

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 rank visualization

Position of capsule in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for capsule is 7 letters long, classified as anoun, 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 Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 10 documented wrong-spelling variants for capsule, with forms such as "acpsule", "cappsule", and "capslue". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "castle", "capture", "capable", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French capsule, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa (“box”). Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is capsule, spelled C-A-P-S-U-L-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

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.

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

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for capsule

Misspelling Variants of "capsule"

acpsule7cappsule8capslue7capssule8capsuel7capsulle8capusle7caspule7
Misspelling Variants of "capsule"

Frequency rank: #11,176 in English

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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.