cloak

/ˈkloʊk/

//ˈkloʊk// noun

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

"cloak" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cloak” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,483. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,483
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cloak · cloak · English

cloak · rank #13,483 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,483
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Claudia

Nearest frequency peer: Claudia (-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 “cloak”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cloak” 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).

cloak vs coa
60% similar
cloak vs cook
60% similar
cloak vs coal
60% similar

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

Key facts for cloak
PropertyValue
Headwordcloak
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkloʊk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#13,483
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cloak”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cloaklands 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 “Claudia” (#13,482), “Cologne” (#13,484), “Colombian” (#13,485). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cloak” is #13,483. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around cloak (IPA /ˈkloʊk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #13,483 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for cloak, with forms such as "ccloak", "claok", and "clloak". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "coa", "cook", "coal", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cloke, from Old Northern French cloque (“travelling cloak”), from Medieval Latin clocca (“travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so called from the garment’s bell-like shape”), of Celtic origin, from Proto-Celtic *klokkos, ultimately imita… The correct English form is cloak, spelled C-L-O-A-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.
  2. 2
    A blanket-like covering, often metaphorical.
  3. 3
    That which conceals; a disguise or pretext.
  4. 4
    A text replacement for an IRC user's hostname or IP address, making the user less identifiable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. ‘It's rather like a beautiful Inverness cloak one has inherited. Much too good to hide away, so one wears it instead of an overcoat and pretends it's an amusing new fashion.’
  2. Night hid her movements with its cloak of darkness.

Etymology

From Middle English cloke, from Old Northern French cloque (“travelling cloak”), from Medieval Latin clocca (“travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so called from the garment’s bell-like shape”), of Celtic origin, from Proto-Celtic *klokkos, ultimately imitative. Doublet of cloche and clock.

This word in other languages

capa(Español)pelisse(Français)Umhang(Deutsch)capa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccloak
  • claok
  • clloak
  • cloakk
  • cloka
  • colak
  • lcoak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cloak - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccloak1claok2clloak1cloakk1cloka2colak2lcoak2
Edit distance from "cloak"

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 "cloak"?
"cloak" is spelled C-L-O-A-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkloʊk/.
What does "cloak" mean?
As a noun, "cloak" means: A long outer garment worn over the shoulders covering the back; a cape, often with a hood.
What words are commonly confused with "cloak"?
"cloak" is commonly confused with "coa", "cook", "coal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cloak"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cloak" is /ˈkloʊk/. 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 "cloak"?
From Middle English cloke, from Old Northern French cloque (“travelling cloak”), from Medieval Latin clocca (“travelers' cape, literally “a bell”, so called from the garment’s bell-like shape”), of Celtic origin, from Proto-Celtic *klokkos, ultima... 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 "cloak", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

circa#13,480cigar#13,479Burma#13,474blitz#13,468

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Dover7 variantsEdith7 variantsAgnes7 variantsfiery7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list