cowl
/kaʊl/noun, verb, adjective
cowl is spelled C-O-W-L: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cowl means “A monk's hood that can be pulled forward to cover the face; a robe with such a hood attached to it” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cowl is cowls.
How many letters and syllables are in cowl?
| Letters | 4: C-O-W-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is cowl?
Cowl appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,063rd 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 cowl?
- US /kaʊl/
- /kəʉl/
Cowl has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cawl.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-cowl.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with cowl
Sounds like: cawl (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with cowl?
3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as cowl from its last stressed vowel (/aʊl/):
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 cowl
- cowls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cowling participle, present
- cowled participle, past
- more cowl comparative
- most cowl superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cowl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A monk's hood that can be pulled forward to cover the face; a robe with such a hood attached to it.
- 2
A mask that covers the majority of the head.
- 3
A thin protective covering over all or part of an engine; also cowling.
- 4
A usually hood-shaped covering used to increase the draft of a chimney and prevent backflow.
- 5
A ship's ventilator with a bell-shaped top which can be swivelled to catch the wind and force it below.
- 6
A vertical projection of a ship's funnel that directs the smoke away from the bridge.
- 7
A monk.
- 8
A caul (the amnion which encloses the foetus before birth, especially that part of it which sometimes shrouds a baby’s head at birth).
- 9
UKobsoleteA vessel carried on a pole, a soe.
verb
- 1
To cover with, or as if with, a cowl (hood).
- 2
To wrap or form (something made of fabric) like a cowl.
- 3
To make a monk of (a person).
- 4
To scrape together
adjective
- 1
cold
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cowl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | froc , capuchon |
| German | Mönchskutte, Kutte , Schornsteinaufsatz |
| Portuguese | capelo |
| Spanish | capucha, cogulla |
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 cowl come from?
From Middle English coule, from Old English cūle, from earlier cugele (“hood, cowl”), from Ecclesiastical Latin cuculla (“monk's cowl”), from Latin cucullus (“hood”), of uncertain origin. Doublet of cagoule.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).