kohl
/koʊl/noun, verb
kohl is spelled K-O-H-L: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, kohl means “A dark powder, usually powdered stibnite (an antimony ore), used as eye makeup, especially in Eastern countries” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in kohl?
| Letters | 4: K-O-H-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 34,912th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
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 kohl?
Kohl appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 34,912th 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 kohl?
- UK /kəʊl/
- UK /kɔʊl/
- US /koʊl/
Kohl 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-kohl.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with kohl
Sounds like: coal, cole (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with kohl?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as kohl from its last stressed vowel (/oʊl/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: holk.
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 kohl
- kohls present, singular, he/she/it
- kohling participle, present
- kohled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does kohl mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A dark powder, usually powdered stibnite (an antimony ore), used as eye makeup, especially in Eastern countries.
verb
- 1
To decorate one's eyes with kohl.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Kohl in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense makeup:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | khôl |
| German | Kajal |
| Spanish | antimonita |
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 kohl come from?
From Arabic كُحْل (kuḥl, “antimony; kohl, stibnite (powdered antimony)”). Doublet of alcohol and alcool.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).