caul

/kɔːl/

//kɔːl// noun

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

"caul" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“caul” is uncommon English (frequency #84,077 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#84,077
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen.

Corpus desk

Index EN-caul · caul · English

caul · rank #84,077 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #84,077
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Catterick

Nearest frequency peer: Catterick (-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 “caul”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for caul
PropertyValue
Headwordcaul
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#84,077
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “caul” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).caulfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Catterick” (#84,076), “catched” (#84,075), “cella” (#84,079). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “caul” is #84,077. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

caul is uncommon English at frequency #84,077 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɔːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

caul has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English calle, kelle, kalle, kolle (“caul, net, basket”), from Old English cāwl, cāul, cēawl, cēaul (“basket, container, net, sieve”), of uncertain origin. Reinforced by Old French cale (“close-fitting cap”), possibly a borrowing of the Old Engl… The correct English form is caul, spelled C-A-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen.
  2. 2
    An entry to a mill lead taken from a burn or stream (a mill lead (or mill waterway) is generally smaller than a canal but moves a large volume of water).
  3. 3
    A membrane.
  4. 4
    The thin membrane which covers the lower intestines; the omentum.
  5. 5
    The amnion which encloses the foetus before birth, especially that part of it which sometimes shrouds a baby’s head at birth (traditionally considered to be good luck).
  6. 6
    The surface of a press that makes contact with panel product, especially a removable plate or sheet.
  7. 7
    A strip or block of wood used to distribute or direct clamping force.
  8. 8
    Caul fat.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Ne spared they to strip her naked all. / Then when they had despoild her tire and call, / Such as she was, their eyes might her behold […]
  2. I was born with a caul, which was advertised for sale, in the newspapers, at the low price of fifteen guineas.

Etymology

From Middle English calle, kelle, kalle, kolle (“caul, net, basket”), from Old English cāwl, cāul, cēawl, cēaul (“basket, container, net, sieve”), of uncertain origin. Reinforced by Old French cale (“close-fitting cap”), possibly a borrowing of the Old English term above, or alternatively related to Old French calotte (“headdress”), from Italian callotta, from Latin calautica (“type of female headdress which fell down over the shoulders”), itself of unknown origin. Cognate with Scots kell (“caul”).

This word in other languages

cofia(Español)coiffe(Français)Schweinenetz(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 "caul"?
"caul" is spelled C-A-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔːl/.
What does "caul" mean?
As a noun, "caul" means: A style of close-fitting circular cap worn by women in the sixteenth century and later, often made of linen.
How do you pronounce "caul"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "caul" is /kɔːl/. 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 "caul"?
From Middle English calle, kelle, kalle, kolle (“caul, net, basket”), from Old English cāwl, cāul, cēawl, cēaul (“basket, container, net, sieve”), of uncertain origin. Reinforced by Old French cale (“close-fitting cap”), possibly a borrowing of th... 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 "caul", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

caca#84,059Byng#84,058birr#84,030Biao#84,020

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list