cauliflower

/ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/

//ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə// noun

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

"cauliflower" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cauliflower” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,314. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,314
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, an annual variety of cabbage, of which the cluster of young flower stalks and buds is eaten as a vegetable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cauliflower · cauliflower · English

cauliflower · rank #22,314 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,314
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Casper

Nearest frequency peer: Casper (-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 “cauliflower”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cauliflower” 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
Key facts for cauliflower
PropertyValue
Headwordcauliflower
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/
Letters11
Frequency rank#22,314
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cauliflower”

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).cauliflowerlands 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 “Casper” (#22,313), “Cebu” (#22,315), “Cao” (#22,312). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cauliflower” is #22,314. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around cauliflower (IPA /ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,314 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for cauliflower, with forms such as "aculiflower", "caluiflower", and "cauilflower". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From 16th century cole-florye, equivalent to cole (from Latin caulis) + flower, reformed to more closely match the Latin etymon. Cognate with French chou-fleur, Italian cavolfiore. The correct English form is cauliflower, spelled C-A-U-L-I-F-L-O-W-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, an annual variety of cabbage, of which the cluster of young flower stalks and buds is eaten as a vegetable.
  2. 2
    The edible head or curd of a cauliflower plant.
  3. 3
    The swelling of a cauliflower ear.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ASPARAGUS, cauliflowers, imperial Sileſia, royal and cabbage lettuces, burnet, purſlain, cucumbers, naſturtian flowers, peaſe and beans ſown in October, artichokes, ſcarlet ſtrawberries, and kidney beans.
  2. His ears were small (fortunately so, given his dramatic hairstyle) and bore no traditional cauliflowers.

Etymology

From 16th century cole-florye, equivalent to cole (from Latin caulis) + flower, reformed to more closely match the Latin etymon. Cognate with French chou-fleur, Italian cavolfiore.

This word in other languages

coliflor(Español)chou-fleur(Français)Blumenkohl(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aculiflower
  • caluiflower
  • cauilflower
  • caulfilower
  • caulifflower
  • caulifllower
  • caulifloewr
  • cauliflowerr
  • cauliflowre
  • cauliflowwer
  • cauliflwoer
  • caulifolwer
  • caulilfower
  • caulliflower
  • ccauliflower
  • cualiflower

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cauliflower - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

aculiflower2caluiflower2cauilflower2caulfilower2caulifflower1caulifllower1caulifloewr2cauliflowerr1
Edit distance from "cauliflower"

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 "cauliflower"?
"cauliflower" is spelled C-A-U-L-I-F-L-O-W-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/.
What does "cauliflower" mean?
As a noun, "cauliflower" means: Brassica oleracea var. botrytis, an annual variety of cabbage, of which the cluster of young flower stalks and buds is eaten as a vegetable.
What are common misspellings of "cauliflower"?
Common misspellings include "aculiflower", "caluiflower", "cauilflower", "caulfilower", "caulifflower". The correct spelling is "cauliflower".
How do you pronounce "cauliflower"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cauliflower" is /ˈkɒl.i.flaʊ.ə/. 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 "cauliflower"?
From 16th century cole-florye, equivalent to cole (from Latin caulis) + flower, reformed to more closely match the Latin etymon. Cognate with French chou-fleur, Italian cavolfiore. 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 "cauliflower", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Christensen#22,323assassinate#22,293distressing#22,356enlargement#22,363

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

conformity16 variantsdeplorable16 variantstransistor16 variantssuitability16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list