cold

/kəʊld/

//kəʊld// adj

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

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

The verdict

“cold” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,013 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#1,013
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having a low temperature.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cold vs cop
50% similar
cold vs con
50% similar
cold vs cow
50% similar

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

Key facts for cold
PropertyValue
Headwordcold
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kəʊld/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,013
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cold” 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). cold 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 cold is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəʊld/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,013 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 22 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for cold, with forms such as "ccold", "clod", and "codl". 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 cold, from Anglian Old English cald. The West Saxon form, ċeald (“cold”), survived as early Middle English cheald, cheld, or chald. Both descended from Proto-West Germanic *kald, from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz, a participle form of *kalaną … The correct English form is cold, spelled C-O-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a low temperature.
  2. 2
    Causing the air to be cold.
  3. 3
    Feeling the sensation of coldness, especially to the point of discomfort.
  4. 4
    Unfriendly; emotionally distant or unfeeling.
  5. 5
    Chilled, filled with an uncomfortable sense of fear, dread, or alarm.
  6. 6
    Dispassionate; not prejudiced or partisan; impartial.
  7. 7
    Completely unprepared; without introduction.
  8. 8
    Unconscious or deeply asleep; deprived of the metaphorical heat associated with life or consciousness.
  9. 9
    Perfectly, exactly, completely; by heart; down pat.
  10. 10
    Cornered; done for.
  11. 11
    Cool, impressive.
  12. 12
    Not pungent or acrid.
  13. 13
    Unexciting; dull; uninteresting.
  14. 14
    Affecting the sense of smell (as of hunting dogs) only feebly; having lost its odour.
  15. 15
    Not sensitive; not acute.
  16. 16
    Distant; said, in the game of hunting for some object, of a seeker remote from the thing concealed. Compare warm and hot.
  17. 17
    Having a bluish effect; not warm in colour.
  18. 18
    Rarely used or accessed, and thus able to be relegated to slower storage.
  19. 19
    Without compassion; heartless; ruthless.
  20. 20
    Not radioactive.
  21. 21
    Not loaded with a round of live ammunition.
  22. 22
    Without electrical power being supplied.

Etymology

From Middle English cold, from Anglian Old English cald. The West Saxon form, ċeald (“cold”), survived as early Middle English cheald, cheld, or chald. Both descended from Proto-West Germanic *kald, from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz, a participle form of *kalaną (“to be cold”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“cold”). Cognates Cognate with Scots cald, cauld (“cold”), Saterland Frisian koold (“cold”), West Frisian kâld (“cold”), Dutch koud (“cold”), Low German kold, koolt, koold (“cold”), German kalt (“cold”), Danish kold (“cold”), Norwegian kald (“cold”), Swedish kall (“cold”).

Synonyms

algidArcticBalticborealbrass monkeysbrumalchillchilledchillyclay-coldcoldcold as a mackerelcold as charityfreezingfrostyfrorefrozengelidglacialhiemalicyinclementneshnippyparkypolarsleetysnowytaterswintry

Antonyms

hotwarm

This word in other languages

frío(Español)froid(Français)kalt(Deutsch)frio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccold,clod,codl,coldd,colld,ocld

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccold1clod2codl2coldd1colld1ocld2
Edit distance from "cold"

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 "cold"?
"cold" is spelled C-O-L-D. The IPA pronunciation is /kəʊld/.
What does "cold" mean?
As an adjective, "cold" means: Having a low temperature.
What words are commonly confused with "cold"?
"cold" 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 "cold"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cold" is /kəʊld/. 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 "cold"?
From Middle English cold, from Anglian Old English cald. The West Saxon form, ċeald (“cold”), survived as early Middle English cheald, cheld, or chald. Both descended from Proto-West Germanic *kald, from Proto-Germanic *kaldaz, a participle form o... 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 “cold”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kəʊld/ (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. cold 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