control
/kənˈtɹəʊl/
"control" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“control” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #384 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #384
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | control |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /kənˈtɹəʊl/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #384 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “control” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for control is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kənˈtɹəʊl/. Corpus data places it at rank #384 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for control, with forms such as "ccontrol", "cnotrol", and "conntrol". 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 also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "controls", "Conroy", "central", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English controllen, from Old French contrerole, from Medieval Latin contrārotulum (“a counter-roll or register used to verify accounts”), from Latin contrā (“against, opposite”) + Medieval Latin rotulus, Latin rotula (“roll, a little wheel”), di… The correct English form is control, spelled C-O-N-T-R-O-L.
Definition
- 1To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
- 2(construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.
- 3To verify the accuracy of (something or someone, especially a financial account) by comparison with another account.
- 4To call to account, to take to task, to challenge.
- 5To hold in check, to curb, to restrain.
Etymology
From Middle English controllen, from Old French contrerole, from Medieval Latin contrārotulum (“a counter-roll or register used to verify accounts”), from Latin contrā (“against, opposite”) + Medieval Latin rotulus, Latin rotula (“roll, a little wheel”), diminutive of rota (“a wheel”). Partly displaced native Old English wealdan and Old English wieldan, whence their merged reflex English wield.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccontrol,cnotrol,conntrol,conrtol,contorl,contrlo,controll,contrrol,conttrol,cotnrol,ocntrol
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of control - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "control"?
What does "control" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "control"?
How do you pronounce "control"?
What is the origin of the word "control"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “control”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-T-R-O-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /kənˈtɹəʊl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “controls” - see the side-by-side comparison. control vs controls
- 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.