cool

/kuːl/

//kuːl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“cool” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #731 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#731
frequency rank, English
4
letters
3
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a mildly low temperature.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cool vs cop
50% similar
cool vs cow
50% similar
cool vs cos
50% similar

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

Key facts for cool
PropertyValue
Headwordcool
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kuːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#731
Misspellings tracked3
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cool” 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). cool 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 cool is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kuːl/. Corpus data places it at rank #731 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 3 likely wrong-spelling variants for cool, with forms such as "ccool", "cooll", and "ocol". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cop", "cow", "cos", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cool, from Old English cōl (“cool, cold, tranquil, calm”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōl(ī), from Proto-Germanic *kōlaz, *kōluz (“cool”), from *kalaną (“to be cold, to freeze”), Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to be cold, to freeze”). Cognat… The correct English form is cool, spelled C-O-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a mildly low temperature.
  2. 2
    Allowing or suggesting heat relief.
  3. 3
    Of a color, in the range of violet to green.
  4. 4
    Not showing emotion; calm and in control of oneself.
  5. 5
    Unenthusiastic; lukewarm; skeptical.
  6. 6
    Calmly audacious.
  7. 7
    Applied facetiously to a sum of money, commonly as if to give emphasis to the largeness of the amount.
  8. 8
    Knowing what to do and how to behave; behaving with effortless and enviable style and panache; considered popular by others.
  9. 9
    Fashionable; trendy; hip.
  10. 10
    All right; acceptable; good.
  11. 11
    Very interesting or exciting.
  12. 12
    Followed by with: able to tolerate.
  13. 13
    Of a pair of people, Having good relations.

Etymology

From Middle English cool, from Old English cōl (“cool, cold, tranquil, calm”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōl(ī), from Proto-Germanic *kōlaz, *kōluz (“cool”), from *kalaną (“to be cold, to freeze”), Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to be cold, to freeze”). Cognates Cognate with North Frisian kuul, kölj (“cold”), Saterland Frisian köil (“cool”), West Frisian koel (“cool”), Cimbrian khuul (“chilly, cool”), Dutch koel (“cool”), German kühl (“cool”), Low German köhl (“cool”), Luxembourgish kill (“cool”), Vilamovian kił (“cool”); also Latin gelū, gelum, gelus (“frost; chill, cold”), Belarusian хо́лад (xólad, “cold”), Bulgarian хлад (hlad, “chill, coolness”), Czech chlad (“cold”), Macedonian лад (lad, “shade; coolness”), Polish chłód (“cold”), Russian and Ukrainian хо́лод (xólod, “cold”), Serbo-Croatian хла̑д, hlȃd (“shade”), Sanskrit जड (jaḍa, “cold; stiff”), जल (jala, “water”). Related to cold.

This word in other languages

fresco(Español)frais(Français)kühl(Deutsch)fresco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccool,cooll,ocol

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cool - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccool1cooll1ocol2
Edit distance from "cool"

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 "cool"?
"cool" is spelled C-O-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is /kuːl/.
What does "cool" mean?
As an adjective, "cool" means: Of a mildly low temperature.
What words are commonly confused with "cool"?
"cool" is commonly confused with "cop", "cow", "cos". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cool"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cool" is /kuːl/. 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 "cool"?
From Middle English cool, from Old English cōl (“cool, cold, tranquil, calm”), from Proto-West Germanic *kōl(ī), from Proto-Germanic *kōlaz, *kōluz (“cool”), from *kalaną (“to be cold, to freeze”), Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to be cold, to freeze... 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 “cool”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-O-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kuːl/ (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. cool 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