cell

/sɛl/

//sɛl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cell” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,419 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,419
frequency rank, English
4
letters
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A single-room dwelling for a hermit.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cell vs Cl
25% similar
cell vs CEO
0% similar
cell vs col
50% similar

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

Key facts for cell
PropertyValue
Headwordcell
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sɛl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,419
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cell” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). cell lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cell is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sɛl/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,419 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 23 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for cell, with forms such as "ccell", "clel", and "ecll". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Cl", "CEO", "col", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English celle, selle, from Old English cell (attested in inflected forms), from Latin cella (“chamber, small room, compartment”), later reinforced by Old French cel, sele, Old French cele. Ultimately from Proto-Italic *kelnā, from Proto-Indo-Eur… The correct English form is cell, spelled C-E-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A single-room dwelling for a hermit.
  2. 2
    A small monastery or nunnery dependent on a larger religious establishment.
  3. 3
    A small room in a monastery or nunnery accommodating one person.
  4. 4
    A room in a prison or jail for one or more inmates.
  5. 5
    Each of the small hexagonal compartments in a honeycomb.
  6. 6
    Any of various chambers in a tissue or organism having specific functions.
  7. 7
    The discal cell of the wing of a lepidopteran insect.
  8. 8
    Specifically, any of the supposed compartments of the brain, formerly thought to be the source of specific mental capacities, knowledge, or memories.
  9. 9
    A section or compartment of a larger structure.
  10. 10
    Any small dwelling; a remote nook, a den.
  11. 11
    A device which stores electrical power; used either singly or together in batteries; the basic unit of a battery.
  12. 12
    The basic unit of a living organism, consisting of a quantity of protoplasm surrounded by a cell membrane, which is able to synthesize proteins and replicate itself.
  13. 13
    A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front.
  14. 14
    The minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior.
  15. 15
    In FreeCell-type games, a space where one card can be placed.
  16. 16
    A small group of people forming part of a larger organization, often an outlawed one.
  17. 17
    A short, fixed-length packet, as in asynchronous transfer mode.
  18. 18
    A region of radio reception that is a part of a larger radio network.
  19. 19
    A three-dimensional facet of a polytope.
  20. 20
    The unit in a statistical array (a spreadsheet, for example) where a row and a column intersect.
  21. 21
    The space between the ribs of a vaulted roof.
  22. 22
    A cella.
  23. 23
    An area of an insect wing bounded by veins.

Etymology

From Middle English celle, selle, from Old English cell (attested in inflected forms), from Latin cella (“chamber, small room, compartment”), later reinforced by Old French cel, sele, Old French cele. Ultimately from Proto-Italic *kelnā, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelneh₂, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱel- (“to cover”). Doublet of cella and hall.

Synonyms

cellcyte

This word in other languages

celda(Español)pile(Français)Zelle(Deutsch)célula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccell,clel,ecll

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cell - 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.

ccell1clel2ecll2
Edit distance from "cell"

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 "cell"?
"cell" is spelled C-E-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /sɛl/.
What does "cell" mean?
As a noun, "cell" means: A single-room dwelling for a hermit.
What words are commonly confused with "cell"?
"cell" is commonly confused with "Cl", "CEO", "col". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cell"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cell" is /sɛl/. 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 "cell"?
From Middle English celle, selle, from Old English cell (attested in inflected forms), from Latin cella (“chamber, small room, compartment”), later reinforced by Old French cel, sele, Old French cele. Ultimately from Proto-Italic *kelnā, from Prot... 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.

Using “cell”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-E-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /sɛl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Cl” - see the side-by-side comparison. cell vs Cl
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list