college

Name: college, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkɒlɪd͡ʒ/

//ˈkɒlɪd͡ʒ// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“college” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #538 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#538
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 8
tracked misspellings: 8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An academic institution.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

college vs collie

71% similar

college vs collide

71% similar

college vs colleges

88% similar

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

Key facts for college
Property	Value
Headword	college
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈkɒlɪd͡ʒ/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#538
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	8
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “college” 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). college lands here:

#538

#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 college is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒlɪd͡ʒ/. Corpus data places it at rank #538 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 14 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for college, with forms such as "ccollege", "clolege", and "colege". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "collie", "collide", "colleges", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-der.? Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-der.? Proto-Italic *lēks Latin lēx Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Pr… The correct English form is college, spelled C-O-L-L-E-G-E.

Definition

1
An academic institution.
2
An academic institution.
3
An academic institution.
4
An academic institution.
5
An academic institution.
6
An academic institution.
7
An academic institution.
8
An academic institution.
9
An academic institution.
10
An academic institution.
11
An academic institution.
12
An academic institution.
13
A group of people sharing common purposes or goals, especially ecclesiastics or professionals; a corporate group; a group of colleagues.
14
An electoral college.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *leǵ-der.? Proto-Indo-European *legʰ-der.? Proto-Italic *lēks Latin lēx Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti Proto-Italic *-āō Latin -ō Latin lēgō Proto-Indo-European *-h₂ Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂ Proto-Italic *-ā Latin -a Latin collēga Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin collēgiumbor. Old French college Middle French collegebor. Middle English college English college From Middle English college, from Middle French college, from Old French college, from Latin collēgium. Doublet of collegium.

Synonyms

department faculty school

This word in other languages

universidad(Español)collège(Français)Hochschule(Deutsch)IES(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccollege,clolege,colege,colelge,colleeg,collegge,collgee,ocllege

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "college"

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 "college"?

"college" is spelled C-O-L-L-E-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒlɪd͡ʒ/.

What does "college" mean?

As a noun, "college" means: An academic institution.

What words are commonly confused with "college"?

"college" is commonly confused with "collie", "collide", "colleges". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "college"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "college" is /ˈkɒlɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "college"?

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 “college”

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

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