colored

/ˈkʌləɹd/

//ˈkʌləɹd// adj

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

"colored" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“colored” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,202 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#5,202
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having a color.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

colored vs colors
71% similar
colored vs cooked
71% similar
colored vs cooled
71% similar

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

Key facts for colored
PropertyValue
Headwordcolored
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkʌləɹd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,202
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “colored” 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). colored 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 colored is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkʌləɹd/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,202 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for colored, with forms such as "ccolored", "cloored", and "collored". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "colors", "cooked", "cooled", 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 color + -ed. The correct English form is colored, spelled C-O-L-O-R-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a color.
  2. 2
    Having a particular color or kind of color.
  3. 3
    Having prominent colors; colorful.
  4. 4
    Biased; pervasively (but potentially subtly) influenced in a particular way.
  5. 5
    Of skin color other than white; in particular, black.
  6. 6
    Belonging to a multiracial ethnic group or category, having ancestry from more than one of the racial groups of Southern Africa (black, white, and Asian). (Under apartheid, used as a metadescription for mixed-race people and peoples such as the Cape Coloureds.)
  7. 7
    Designated for use by colored people (in either the US or South African sense).

Etymology

From color + -ed.

Synonyms

coloredhued

Antonyms

achromaticcolorless

This word in other languages

coloré(Français)farbig(Deutsch)colorido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccolored,cloored,collored,coloerd,colorde,coloredd,colorred,colroed,coolred,oclored

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccolored1cloored2collored1coloerd2colorde2coloredd1colorred1colroed2
Edit distance from "colored"

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 "colored"?
"colored" is spelled C-O-L-O-R-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʌləɹd/.
What does "colored" mean?
As an adjective, "colored" means: Having a color.
What words are commonly confused with "colored"?
"colored" is commonly confused with "colors", "cooked", "cooled". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "colored"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "colored" is /ˈkʌləɹd/. 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 "colored"?
From color + -ed. 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 “colored”

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

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