collateral

/kəˈlætəɹəl/

//kəˈlætəɹəl// adj

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

"collateral" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“collateral” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,853. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,853
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Parallel, in the same vein, side by side.

Corpus desk

Index EN-collateral · collateral · English

collateral · rank #11,853 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,853
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cliffs

Nearest frequency peer: cliffs (-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 “collateral”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “collateral” 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 collateral
PropertyValue
Headwordcollateral
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kəˈlætəɹəl/
Letters10
Frequency rank#11,853
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “collateral”

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).collaterallands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “cliffs” (#11,852), “congestion” (#11,854), “circumstance” (#11,851). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “collateral” is #11,853. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around collateral (IPA /kəˈlætəɹəl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #11,853 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for collateral, with forms such as "ccollateral", "clolateral", and "colalteral". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Recorded since c.1378, from Old French, from Medieval Latin collaterālis, from Latin col- (“together with”) (a form of con-) + the stem of latus (“side”). By surface analysis, col- + lateral. The correct English form is collateral, spelled C-O-L-L-A-T-E-R-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Parallel, in the same vein, side by side.
  2. 2
    Corresponding; accompanying, concomitant.
  3. 3
    Being aside from the main subject, target, or goal.
  4. 4
    Of an indirect ancestral relationship, as opposed to lineal descendency.
  5. 5
    Relating to a collateral in the sense of an obligation or security.
  6. 6
    Expensive to the extent of being paid through a loan.
  7. 7
    Coming or directed along the side.
  8. 8
    Acting in an indirect way.
  9. 9
    Having the phloem and xylem adjacent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) are torn and Vonn has a lateral fracture of the tibial plateau, the upper end of the tibia or shin bone.
  2. Yet the attempt may give / Collateral interest to this homely tale.

Etymology

Recorded since c.1378, from Old French, from Medieval Latin collaterālis, from Latin col- (“together with”) (a form of con-) + the stem of latus (“side”). By surface analysis, col- + lateral.

This word in other languages

collatéral(Français)benachbart(Deutsch)colateral(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccollateral
  • clolateral
  • colalteral
  • colateral
  • collaetral
  • collatearl
  • collaterall
  • collaterla
  • collaterral
  • collatreal
  • collatteral
  • colltaeral
  • ocllateral

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of collateral - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccollateral1clolateral2colalteral2colateral1collaetral2collatearl2collaterall1collaterla2
Edit distance from "collateral"

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 "collateral"?
"collateral" is spelled C-O-L-L-A-T-E-R-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈlætəɹəl/.
What does "collateral" mean?
As an adjective, "collateral" means: Parallel, in the same vein, side by side.
What are common misspellings of "collateral"?
Common misspellings include "ccollateral", "clolateral", "colalteral", "colateral", "collaetral". The correct spelling is "collateral".
How do you pronounce "collateral"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "collateral" is /kəˈlætəɹəl/. 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 "collateral"?
Recorded since c.1378, from Old French, from Medieval Latin collaterālis, from Latin col- (“together with”) (a form of con-) + the stem of latus (“side”). By surface analysis, col- + lateral. 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 "collateral", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

congestion#11,854blockchain#11,843dependence#11,867accelerate#11,829

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

conquered13 variantsbacklash13 variantsadvertise13 variantstransmit13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list