cold as charity
"cold-as-charity" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cold as charity” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 15
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Very cold, whether in temperature or in demeanour.
Corpus desk
Index EN-cold-as-charity · cold as charity · English
cold as charity · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 15 letters
- VOW-5 5 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cold as charity |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 15 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “cold as charity” in English
Rare enough to double-check
cold as charity is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Very cold, whether in temperature or in demeanour.".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cold as charity, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: An ironic reference to the cold-hearted nature of much so-called charity, which should naturally be warm. The correct English form is cold as charity, spelled C-O-L-D- -A-S- -C-H-A-R-I-T-Y.
Definition
- 1Very cold, whether in temperature or in demeanour.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how cold as charity appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
"Here's another funny thing I don't quite believe," he said; "a minute ago the tea was boiling hot, and now it's as cold as charity. But I mustn't forget it's winter; that's what's making my fingers tremble so. Jolly cold — jolly cold. Yes, jolly cold as charity sounds topsy-turvy."
Etymology
An ironic reference to the cold-hearted nature of much so-called charity, which should naturally be warm.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.