joule
/d͡ʒuːl/
"joule" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“joule” is uncommon English (frequency #56,834 among 4,872 “J” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #56,834
- frequency rank, English
- 4,872
- “J” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - In the International System of Units, the derived unit of energy, work and heat; the work required to exert a force of one newton for a distance of one metre. Equivalent to one watt-second (one wat...
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | joule |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /d͡ʒuːl/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #56,834 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “joule” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
joule is uncommon English at frequency #56,834 among 4,872 “J” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /d͡ʒuːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "In the International System of Units, the derived unit of energy, work and heat; the work required to exert a force of one newton for a distance of one metre. Equivalent to one watt-second (one wat...".
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for joule, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Named after English physicist James Prescott Joule (1818–1889). The surname is a variant of Joel. The correct English form is joule, spelled J-O-U-L-E.
Definition
- 1In the International System of Units, the derived unit of energy, work and heat; the work required to exert a force of one newton for a distance of one metre. Equivalent to one watt-second (one watt of power acting for a duration of one second).
Etymology
Named after English physicist James Prescott Joule (1818–1889). The surname is a variant of Joel.
This word in other languages
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 "joule"?
What does "joule" mean?
How do you pronounce "joule"?
What is the origin of the word "joule"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “joule”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is J-O-U-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /d͡ʒuːl/ (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.