Kao-li

name

"kao-li" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Kao-li” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Alternative form of Gaoli (Goryeo)

Corpus desk

Index EN-kao-li · Kao-li · English

Kao-li · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "K" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for Kao-li
PropertyValue
HeadwordKao-li
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
Letters6
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “Kao-li” in English

Kao-lisits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Kao-li is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Alternative form of Gaoli (Goryeo)".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for Kao-li, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Mandarin 高麗 (Gāolí), Wade–Giles romanization: Kao¹-li². The correct English form is Kao-li, spelled K-A-O---L-I.

Definition

  1. 1
    Alternative form of Gaoli (Goryeo)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In A.D. 436 we find from the Kang Kien that Fêng Hung (馮弘) the last “Emperor” of Yen⁶² had to take refuge in the Tungusic (東胡) kingdom of Kao-li,—the very first mention of the new name,⁶³—which had been developing quietly at its capital P’ing-jang.[…] “The Emperor visited east-central China (江與京洛), and enlisted 400,000 soldiers and 500 Wu ships to cross t…
  2. In ancient times there existed in the region of the Tung-chia River 佟佳江 in present Liaoning a people called Kao-chü-li 高句驪. In the fifth century they moved their capital to P’ing-jang. The name of the country was simplified to Kao-li 高麗 (Korea).

Etymology

From Mandarin 高麗 (Gāolí), Wade–Giles romanization: Kao¹-li².

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Kao-li"?
"Kao-li" is spelled K-A-O---L-I.
What does "Kao-li" mean?
As a proper noun, "Kao-li" means: Alternative form of Gaoli (Goryeo)
What is the origin of the word "Kao-li"?
From Mandarin 高麗 (Gāolí), Wade–Giles romanization: Kao¹-li². 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list