coddle
/ˈkɒd.əl/
"coddle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“coddle” is an uncommon English word, ranked #65,000 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #65,000
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To treat gently or with great care.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | coddle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈkɒd.əl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #65,000 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “coddle” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for coddle is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒd.əl/. Corpus data places it at rank #65,000 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for coddle, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from caudle. Compare British dialect caddle (“to coax, spoil, fondle”) and cade. The correct English form is coddle, spelled C-O-D-D-L-E.
Definition
- 1To treat gently or with great care.
- 2To cook slowly in hot water that is below the boiling point.
- 3To exercise excessive or damaging authority in an attempt to protect. To overprotect.
Etymology
Probably from caudle. Compare British dialect caddle (“to coax, spoil, fondle”) and cade.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “coddle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-D-D-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɒd.əl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.