collar

/ˈkɒl.ə/

//ˈkɒl.ə// noun

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

"collar" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“collar” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,665 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,665
frequency rank, English
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
17
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Clothes that encircle the neck.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

collar vs color
67% similar
collar vs cooler
67% similar
collar vs cougar
67% similar

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

Key facts for collar
PropertyValue
Headwordcollar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒl.ə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#6,665
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs17
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “collar” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for collar is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒl.ə/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,665 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for collar, with forms such as "ccollar", "clolar", and "colalr". 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 17 confusable-pair relationships, "color", "cooler", "cougar", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English coler, borrowed from Old French coler (Modern French collier), from Late Latin collāre, from Latin collāris, from collum (“neck”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐍃 (hals, “neck”), Old English heals (“neck”). Compare Spanish cuello (“neck”). … The correct English form is collar, spelled C-O-L-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Clothes that encircle the neck.
  2. 2
    Clothes that encircle the neck.
  3. 3
    Clothes that encircle the neck.
  4. 4
    Clothes that encircle the neck.
  5. 5
    Clothes that encircle the neck.
  6. 6
    Clothes that encircle the neck.
  7. 7
    Clothes that encircle the neck.
  8. 8
    Clothes that encircle the neck.
  9. 9
    A piece of meat from the neck of an animal.
  10. 10
    Any encircling device or structure.
  11. 11
    Any encircling device or structure.
  12. 12
    Any encircling device or structure.
  13. 13
    Any encircling device or structure.
  14. 14
    Any encircling device or structure.
  15. 15
    Of or pertaining to a certain category of professions as symbolized by typical clothing.
  16. 16
    The neck or line of junction between the root of a plant and its stem
  17. 17
    A ringlike part of a mollusk in connection with the esophagus.
  18. 18
    An eye formed in the bight or bend of a shroud or stay to go over the masthead; also, a rope to which certain parts of rigging, as dead-eyes, are secured.
  19. 19
    An arrest.
  20. 20
    A trading strategy using options such that there is both an upper limit on profit and a lower limit on loss, constructed through taking equal but opposite positions in a put and a call with different strike prices.
  21. 21
    A topological neighborhood around a submanifold that can be deformed to preserve a specified condition or structure.

Etymology

From Middle English coler, borrowed from Old French coler (Modern French collier), from Late Latin collāre, from Latin collāris, from collum (“neck”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐍃 (hals, “neck”), Old English heals (“neck”). Compare Spanish cuello (“neck”). More at halse. Doublet of collet.

Synonyms

collum

This word in other languages

cuello(Español)col(Français)Kragen(Deutsch)colarinho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccollar,clolar,colalr,colar,collarr,collra,ocllar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccollar1clolar2colalr2colar1collarr1collra2ocllar2
Edit distance from "collar"

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 "collar"?
"collar" is spelled C-O-L-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒl.ə/.
What does "collar" mean?
As a noun, "collar" means: Clothes that encircle the neck.
What words are commonly confused with "collar"?
"collar" is commonly confused with "color", "cooler", "cougar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "collar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "collar" is /ˈkɒl.ə/. 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 "collar"?
From Middle English coler, borrowed from Old French coler (Modern French collier), from Late Latin collāre, from Latin collāris, from collum (“neck”). Cognate with Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌻𐍃 (hals, “neck”), Old English heals (“neck”). Compare Spanish cuello ... 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.

Using “collar”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-L-L-A-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkɒl.ə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “color” - see the side-by-side comparison. collar vs color
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list