control
con·trol/kənˈtɹəʊl/verb, noun
control is spelled C-O-N-T-R-O-L, 2 syllables: con·trol. The wrong spelling people search most is contol: about 70 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 213 of all searches for the word. Control is a verb meaning “To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of”.
How many letters and syllables are in control?
| Letters | 7: C-O-N-T-R-O-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: con·trol |
| In writing | 251 times per million words; the 387th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 2; the most searched, contol, about 70 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How do you spell control?
Control is spelled C-O-N-T-R-O-L. 2 wrong spellings are searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 211 of the searches for control in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is control?
Control appears 251 times per million words in written English, the 387th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce control?
- UK /kənˈtɹəʊl/
- UK [kənˈtɹɒʊl]
- UK /kənˈtɹɒl/
Control has 2 syllables, split con·trol in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-control.wav, En-us-control.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with control
Also written: ctrl.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with control?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as control from its last stressed vowel (/əʊl/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of control
- controls present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- controlling participle, present
- controlled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does control mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.
- 2
(construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.
- 3
archaicTo verify the accuracy of (something or someone, especially a financial account) by comparison with another account.
- 4
obsoleteTo call to account, to take to task, to challenge.
- 5
To hold in check, to curb, to restrain.
noun
- 1
An influence or authority over something.
The government has complete control over the situation.
- 2
The method and means of governing the performance of any apparatus, machine or system, such as a lever, handle or button.
- 3
Restraint or ability to contain one's movements or emotions, or self-control.
- 4
A security mechanism, policy, or procedure that can counter system attack, reduce risks, and resolve vulnerabilities; a safeguard or countermeasure.
- 5
A means of monitoring for, and triggering intervention in, activities that are not going according to plan.
- 6
A control group or control experiment.
- 7
A duplicate book, register, or account, kept to correct or check another account or register.
- 8
An interface element that a computer user interacts with, such as a window or a text box.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate control?
Wiktionary records 5 abbreviations of control: Ctrl., IoC, contl., ctrl, ctrl..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Control in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | contrôler , maîtrise, contrôle , commandes |
| German | steuern, kontrollieren, regeln , Kontrolle , Kontrollen, Regelung |
| Portuguese | controlar , controlo, controle |
| Spanish | controlar , administración, control, dirección, manejo, organización |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does control come from?
From Middle English controllen, from Old French contrerole, from Medieval Latin contrārotulus (“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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).