coolie

/ˈkuːli/

//ˈkuːli// noun

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

"coolie" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coolie” is uncommon English (frequency #62,066 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#62,066
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or Indian descent; a labourer; a porter. Coolies were frequently transported to other countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries as indentured labo...

Key facts for coolie
PropertyValue
Headwordcoolie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkuːli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#62,066
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coolie” 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). coolie 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

coolie is uncommon English at frequency #62,066 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkuːli/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for coolie in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Hindustani क़ुली / قلی (qulī, “hired laborer”), possibly from Ottoman Turkish قول (kul, “servant”). Another theory says that it is named after Gujarati કોળી (koḷī), a Gujarati tribe or caste. Other forms occur in Bengali কুলি (kuli) and Tamil கூலி (kūl… The correct English form is coolie, spelled C-O-O-L-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or Indian descent; a labourer; a porter. Coolies were frequently transported to other countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries as indentured labourers.
  2. 2
    An Indian or a person of Indian descent.

Etymology

From Hindustani क़ुली / قلی (qulī, “hired laborer”), possibly from Ottoman Turkish قول (kul, “servant”). Another theory says that it is named after Gujarati કોળી (koḷī), a Gujarati tribe or caste. Other forms occur in Bengali কুলি (kuli) and Tamil கூலி (kūli, “daily hire”). Possibly also influenced by Hindustani کولی (kolī) / कोली (kolī, “weaver; low-class”). In Kurdish Koile (کۆیلە) and Quli (قولى): Slave, Servant. Kawli (Keweli): Low-Class, Gypsy. Mandarin 苦力 (kǔlì, “hard labor”) may have been influenced by cognates of the above Hindi word in other languages and may have further influenced English.

This word in other languages

culi(Español)coolie(Français)Kuli(Deutsch)

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 "coolie"?
"coolie" is spelled C-O-O-L-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkuːli/.
What does "coolie" mean?
As a noun, "coolie" means: An unskilled Asian worker, usually of Chinese or Indian descent; a labourer; a porter. Coolies were frequently transported to other countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries as indentured labo...
How do you pronounce "coolie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coolie" is /ˈkuːli/. 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 "coolie"?
From Hindustani क़ुली / قلی (qulī, “hired laborer”), possibly from Ottoman Turkish قول (kul, “servant”). Another theory says that it is named after Gujarati કોળી (koḷī), a Gujarati tribe or caste. Other forms occur in Bengali কুলি (kuli) and Tamil... 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 “coolie”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-O-L-I-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkuːli/ (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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list