comb

/kəʊm/

//kəʊm// noun

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

"comb" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“comb” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,493 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#14,493
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A toothed implement:

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

comb vs cop
50% similar
comb vs con
50% similar
comb vs cow
50% similar

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

Key facts for comb
PropertyValue
Headwordcomb
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kəʊm/
Letters4
Frequency rank#14,493
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “comb” 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). comb 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 comb is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kəʊm/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,493 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 20 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for comb, with forms such as "ccomb", "cmob", and "cobm". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cop", "con", "cow", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English comb, from Old English camb (“comb”), from Proto-West Germanic *kamb, from Proto-Germanic *kambaz (“comb”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“tooth”), a doublet of cam. The verb is derived from the noun and displaced the older verb kem… The correct English form is comb, spelled C-O-M-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A toothed implement:
  2. 2
    A toothed implement:
  3. 3
    A toothed implement:
  4. 4
    A toothed implement:
  5. 5
    A toothed implement:
  6. 6
    A toothed implement:
  7. 7
    A toothed implement:
  8. 8
    A toothed implement:
  9. 9
    A toothed implement:
  10. 10
    A toothed implement:
  11. 11
    A crest:
  12. 12
    A crest:
  13. 13
    A crest:
  14. 14
    A structure of hexagon cells made by bees for storing honey; honeycomb.
  15. 15
    The main body of a harmonica containing the air chambers and to which the reed plates are attached.
  16. 16
    A former, commonly cone-shaped, used in hat manufacturing for hardening soft fibre.
  17. 17
    An old English measure of corn equal to the half quarter.
  18. 18
    The curling crest of a wave; a comber.
  19. 19
    A connected and reduced curve with irreducible components consisting of a smooth subcurve (called the handle) and one or more additional irreducible components (called teeth) that each intersect the handle in a single point that is unequal to the unique point of intersection for any of the other teeth.
  20. 20
    A kind of vertical plate in a lode.

Etymology

From Middle English comb, from Old English camb (“comb”), from Proto-West Germanic *kamb, from Proto-Germanic *kambaz (“comb”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“tooth”), a doublet of cam. The verb is derived from the noun and displaced the older verb kemb. Cognates Compare Saterland Frisian Koum, Swedish/Dutch kam, Danish kam, Norwegian kam, German Kamm; also Tocharian B keme, Lithuanian žam̃bas (“sharp edge”), Old Church Slavonic зѫбъ (zǫbŭ), Albanian dhëmb, Ancient Greek γομφίος (gomphíos, “backtooth, molar”), Sanskrit जम्भ (jambha)).

Synonyms

cockscombcrest

This word in other languages

peine(Español)peigne(Français)Kamm(Deutsch)pente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccomb,cmob,cobm,combb,commb,ocmb

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccomb1cmob2cobm2combb1commb1ocmb2
Edit distance from "comb"

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 "comb"?
"comb" is spelled C-O-M-B. The IPA pronunciation is /kəʊm/.
What does "comb" mean?
As a noun, "comb" means: A toothed implement:
What words are commonly confused with "comb"?
"comb" is commonly confused with "cop", "con", "cow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "comb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "comb" is /kəʊm/. 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 "comb"?
From Middle English comb, from Old English camb (“comb”), from Proto-West Germanic *kamb, from Proto-Germanic *kambaz (“comb”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵómbʰos (“tooth”), a doublet of cam. The verb is derived from the noun and displaced the olde... 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 “comb”

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

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