kale

/keɪl/

//keɪl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“kale” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,652. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,652
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)

Corpus desk

Index EN-kale · kale · English

kale · rank #17,652 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,652
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH jumbo

Nearest frequency peer: jumbo (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “kale”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “kale” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

kale vs Ke
25% similar
kale vs KL
0% similar
kale vs kay
50% similar

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

Key facts for kale
PropertyValue
Headwordkale
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/keɪl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#17,652
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “kale”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).kalelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “jumbo” (#17,651), “Katz” (#17,653), “jogging” (#17,650). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kale” is #17,652. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around kale (IPA /keɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,652 among 1,236 “K” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for kale, with forms such as "akle", "kael", and "kalle". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Ke", "KL", "kay", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Northern Middle English cale, cal (Southern col), from Old English cāl, cāul, cāwel, from Latin caulis. Compare Icelandic kál (“cabbage”), German Kohl (“cabbage”). Doublet of caulis, cole, and gobi. The correct English form is kale, spelled K-A-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)
  2. 2
    Any of several cabbage-like food plants that are kinds of Brassica oleracea.
  3. 3
    Broth containing kale as a chief ingredient.
  4. 4
    Money.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I’ll bet he takes nine-tenths of his kale from women and children, and he’s an honored citizen.

Etymology

From Northern Middle English cale, cal (Southern col), from Old English cāl, cāul, cāwel, from Latin caulis. Compare Icelandic kál (“cabbage”), German Kohl (“cabbage”). Doublet of caulis, cole, and gobi.

This word in other languages

chou frisé(Français)Grünkohl(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • akle
  • kael
  • kalle
  • kkale
  • klae

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of kale - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

akle2kael2kalle1kkale1klae2
Edit distance from "kale"

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 "kale"?
"kale" is spelled K-A-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /keɪl/.
What does "kale" mean?
As a noun, "kale" means: An edible plant, similar to cabbage, with curled leaves that do not form a dense head (Brassica oleracea var. acephala)
What words are commonly confused with "kale"?
"kale" is commonly confused with "Ke", "KL", "kay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "kale"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kale" is /keɪl/. 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 "kale"?
From Northern Middle English cale, cal (Southern col), from Old English cāl, cāul, cāwel, from Latin caulis. Compare Icelandic kál (“cabbage”), German Kohl (“cabbage”). Doublet of caulis, cole, and gobi. 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 "kale", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Katz#17,653Jang#17,649lash#17,657Luca#17,663

Similar misspelling depth

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

Louie5 variantsMecca5 variantsMIDI5 variantsgeez5 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list