cold spell
"cold-spell" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cold spell” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A short period during which temperatures are much lower than usual.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cold spell |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cold spell” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cold spell is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
cold spell doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From cold + spell (“period of time”). The correct English form is cold spell, spelled C-O-L-D- -S-P-E-L-L.
Definition
- 1A short period during which temperatures are much lower than usual.
- 2A period of poor performance.
Etymology
From cold + spell (“period of time”).
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “cold spell”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-L-D- -S-P-E-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- 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.