coil

/kɔɪl/

//kɔɪl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“coil” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,666 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#10,666
frequency rank, English
4
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

coil vs cop
50% similar
coil vs con
50% similar
coil vs cow
50% similar

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

Key facts for coil
PropertyValue
Headwordcoil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔɪl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,666
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coil” 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). coil 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 coil is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɔɪl/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,666 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for coil, with forms such as "ccoil", "ciol", and "coill". 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, "cop", "con", "cow", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English coilen, from Old French coillir, cuillir (“to gather, pluck, pick, cull”) (modern French cueillir), from Latin colligō (“to gather together”), past participle collectus, from com- (“together”) + legō (“to gather”); compare legend. Double… The correct English form is coil, spelled C-O-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral.
  2. 2
    Any intrauterine device (abbreviation: IUD)—the first IUDs were coil-shaped.
  3. 3
    A coil of electrically conductive wire through which electricity can flow.
  4. 4
    A cylinder of clay.
  5. 5
    Entanglement; perplexity.

Etymology

From Middle English coilen, from Old French coillir, cuillir (“to gather, pluck, pick, cull”) (modern French cueillir), from Latin colligō (“to gather together”), past participle collectus, from com- (“together”) + legō (“to gather”); compare legend. Doublet of cull.

This word in other languages

espiral(Español)spire(Français)Spirale(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccoil,ciol,coill,ocil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccoil1ciol2coill1ocil2
Edit distance from "coil"

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 "coil"?
"coil" is spelled C-O-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔɪl/.
What does "coil" mean?
As a noun, "coil" means: Something wound in the form of a helix or spiral.
What words are commonly confused with "coil"?
"coil" is commonly confused with "cop", "con", "cow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coil" is /kɔɪl/. 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 "coil"?
From Middle English coilen, from Old French coillir, cuillir (“to gather, pluck, pick, cull”) (modern French cueillir), from Latin colligō (“to gather together”), past participle collectus, from com- (“together”) + legō (“to gather”); compare lege... 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 “coil”

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

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