coleslaw

/ˈkəʊlslɔː/

//ˈkəʊlslɔː// noun

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

"coleslaw" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coleslaw” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,696. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,696
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A salad of finely shredded raw cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots, dressed with mayonnaise (white slaw) or a vinaigrette (red slaw).

Corpus desk

Index EN-coleslaw · coleslaw · English

coleslaw · rank #44,696 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,696
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coldness

Nearest frequency peer: coldness (-1 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “coleslaw”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “coleslaw” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for coleslaw
PropertyValue
Headwordcoleslaw
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkəʊlslɔː/
Letters8
Frequency rank#44,696
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “coleslaw”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).coleslawlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “coldness” (#44,695), “collard” (#44,697), “CLC” (#44,694). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “coleslaw” is #44,696. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around coleslaw (IPA /ˈkəʊlslɔː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,696 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A salad of finely shredded raw cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots, dressed with mayonnaise (white slaw) or a vinaigrette (red slaw).".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for coleslaw, with forms such as "ccoleslaw", "cloeslaw", and "coelslaw". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Dutch koolsla (mentioned in English as the Dutch name by at least in 1794), from kool (“cabbage”) + sla (“salad”). The correct English form is coleslaw, spelled C-O-L-E-S-L-A-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    A salad of finely shredded raw cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots, dressed with mayonnaise (white slaw) or a vinaigrette (red slaw).

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch koolsla (mentioned in English as the Dutch name by at least in 1794), from kool (“cabbage”) + sla (“salad”).

Synonyms

slaw

This word in other languages

curtida(Español)coleslaw(Français)Krautsalat(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccoleslaw
  • cloeslaw
  • coelslaw
  • colelsaw
  • colesalw
  • coleslaww
  • colesllaw
  • coleslwa
  • colesslaw
  • colleslaw
  • colselaw
  • ocleslaw

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of coleslaw - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccoleslaw1cloeslaw2coelslaw2colelsaw2colesalw2coleslaww1colesllaw1coleslwa2
Edit distance from "coleslaw"

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 "coleslaw"?
"coleslaw" is spelled C-O-L-E-S-L-A-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkəʊlslɔː/.
What does "coleslaw" mean?
As a noun, "coleslaw" means: A salad of finely shredded raw cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots, dressed with mayonnaise (white slaw) or a vinaigrette (red slaw).
What are common misspellings of "coleslaw"?
Common misspellings include "ccoleslaw", "cloeslaw", "coelslaw", "colelsaw", "colesalw". The correct spelling is "coleslaw".
How do you pronounce "coleslaw"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coleslaw" is /ˈkəʊlslɔː/. 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 "coleslaw"?
Borrowed from Dutch koolsla (mentioned in English as the Dutch name by at least in 1794), from kool (“cabbage”) + sla (“salad”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "coleslaw", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

coldness#44,695courtier#44,714cultivar#44,719Dagenham#44,722

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

conniving12 variantsCorvallis12 variantsCarrollton12 variantsDimitrov12 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list