collapse

/kəˈlæps/

//kəˈlæps// verb

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

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

The verdict

“collapse” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,309. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,309
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To break apart and fall down suddenly; to cave in.

Corpus desk

Index EN-collapse · collapse · English

collapse · rank #5,309 · 10 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,309
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cole

Nearest frequency peer: cole (-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 “collapse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “collapse” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

collapse vs collage
75% similar

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

Key facts for collapse
PropertyValue
Headwordcollapse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəˈlæps/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,309
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “collapse”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).collapselands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “cole” (#5,308), “collecting” (#5,310), “Codes” (#5,307). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “collapse” is #5,309. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around collapse (IPA /kəˈlæps/), averb. Corpus frequency is #5,309 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for collapse, with forms such as "ccollapse", "clolapse", and "colalpse". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "collage", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin collāpsus (past participle of collābor). The correct English form is collapse, spelled C-O-L-L-A-P-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To break apart and fall down suddenly; to cave in.
  2. 2
    To cease to function due to a sudden breakdown; to fail suddenly and completely.
  3. 3
    To fold compactly.
  4. 4
    In a hierarchical list (such as a directory tree or table of contents), to hide the subentries of (an entry).
  5. 5
    To suffer a batting collapse.
  6. 6
    To cause something to collapse.
  7. 7
    To pass out and fall to the floor or ground, as from exhaustion or other illness; to faint.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how collapse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A balloon collapses when the gas escapes from it.
  2. Pyramid schemes tend to generate profits for a while and then collapse.

Etymology

From Latin collāpsus (past participle of collābor).

This word in other languages

derrumbarse(Español)s'effondrer(Français)einstürzen(Deutsch)ruir(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccollapse
  • clolapse
  • colalpse
  • colapse
  • collapes
  • collappse
  • collapsse
  • collaspe
  • collpase
  • ocllapse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccollapse1clolapse2colalpse2colapse1collapes2collappse1collapsse1collaspe2
Edit distance from "collapse"

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 "collapse"?
"collapse" is spelled C-O-L-L-A-P-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈlæps/.
What does "collapse" mean?
As a verb, "collapse" means: To break apart and fall down suddenly; to cave in.
What words are commonly confused with "collapse"?
"collapse" is commonly confused with "collage". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "collapse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "collapse" is /kəˈlæps/. 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 "collapse"?
From Latin collāpsus (past participle of collābor). 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 "collapse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

compound#5,311contents#5,314basement#5,294balanced#5,292

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

costume10 variantsceiling10 variantsdeleted10 variantsdevoted10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list