control

/kənˈtɹəʊl/

//kənˈtɹəʊl// verb

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

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

The verdict

“control” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #384. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#384
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-control · control · English

control · rank #384 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #384
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coming

Nearest frequency peer: coming (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “control”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “control” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

control vs controls
88% similar
control vs Conroy
57% similar
control vs central
71% similar

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

Key facts for control
PropertyValue
Headwordcontrol
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kənˈtɹəʊl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#384
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “control” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).controllands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “coming” (#383), “death” (#385), “body” (#382). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around control (IPA /kənˈtɹəʊl/), averb. Corpus frequency is #384 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
  2. 2
    (construed with for) To design (an experiment) so that the effects of one or more variables are reduced or eliminated.
  3. 3
    To verify the accuracy of (something or someone, especially a financial account) by comparison with another account.
  4. 4
    To call to account, to take to task, to challenge.
  5. 5
    To hold in check, to curb, to restrain.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how control appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. With a simple remote, he could control the toy truck.
  2. This was a wonderful advert for the Premier League, with both Chelsea and United intent on all-out attack - but Ferguson will be concerned at how his side lost their way after imperiously controlling much of the first period.

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.

Antonyms

defyrebelresistobeysubmit

This word in other languages

controlar(Español)contrôler(Français)steuern(Deutsch)controlar(Português)

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.

ccontrol1cnotrol2conntrol1conrtol2contorl2contrlo2controll1contrrol1
Edit distance from "control"

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"?
"control" is spelled C-O-N-T-R-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈtɹəʊl/.
What does "control" mean?
As a verb, "control" means: To exercise influence over; to suggest or dictate the behavior of.
What words are commonly confused with "control"?
"control" is commonly confused with "controls", "Conroy", "central". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "control"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "control" is /kənˈtɹəʊl/. 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 "control"?
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 w... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "control", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

problem#391history#397several#404started#405

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

friends11 variantsplaying11 variantsworking11 variantspossible11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "control". Here's where to go from here.

  • "control" maps to 3 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "controls". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #384 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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