confocal

/kənˈfəʊkəl/

//kənˈfəʊkəl// adj

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

"confocal" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“confocal” is uncommon English (frequency #72,199 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#72,199
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having the same foci

Key facts for confocal
PropertyValue
Headwordconfocal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kənˈfəʊkəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#72,199
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “confocal” 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). confocal lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

confocal is uncommon English at frequency #72,199 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /kənˈfəʊkəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Having the same foci".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for confocal, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From con- + focal. The correct English form is confocal, spelled C-O-N-F-O-C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the same foci

Etymology

From con- + focal.

This word in other languages

confocal(Français)

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 "confocal"?
"confocal" is spelled C-O-N-F-O-C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈfəʊkəl/.
What does "confocal" mean?
As an adjective, "confocal" means: Having the same foci
How do you pronounce "confocal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "confocal" is /kənˈfəʊkəl/. 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 "confocal"?
From con- + focal. 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 “confocal”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-F-O-C-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kənˈfəʊkəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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