# coli

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkoʊ.laɪ/ · frequency rank #20,590

## Definitions
1. Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.

## Etymology
Ellipsis of Bacterium coli or Bacillus coli, obsolete taxonomic names of the species (now called Escherichia coli). The word itself derives from Latin colī, genitive of colon (“colon, large intestine”).

## Easily confused with
- **cop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cop)
- **con** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-con)
- **cow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cow)
- **cos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cos)
- **cox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cox)
- **cor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cor)
- **coo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-coo)
- **CPI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cpi)
- **CSI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-csi)
- **cot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cot)
- **coz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-coz)
- **coy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-coy)
- **cpl** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cpl)
- **Cov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cov)
- **CRI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cri)
- **Cui** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cui)
- **CSL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-csl)
- **come** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-come)
- **cost** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cost)
- **cool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coli-vs-cool)

## Common misspellings (4)
`ccoli`, `cloi`, `colli`, `ocli`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/coli