# ladle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈleɪ.dəl/ · frequency rank #43,744

## Definitions
1. A deep-bowled spoonlike utensil with a long, usually curved, handle.
2. A container used in a foundry or steel mill to transport and pour out molten metal.
3. The float or paddle on a mill wheel.
4. An instrument for drawing the charge of a cannon.
5. A ring, with a handle or handles fitted to it, for carrying shot.

## Etymology
From Middle English ladel, from Old English hlædel, derived from Proto-Germanic *hlaþaną (“to load”), from Proto-Indo-European *kleh₂- (“to put, lay out”), same source as Lithuanian kloti (“to spread”), equivalent to lade + -le (“agent suffix”).

## Easily confused with
- **LDL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-ldl)
- **late** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-late)
- **lady** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lady)
- **lake** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lake)
- **lane** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lane)
- **lame** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lame)
- **lads** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lads)
- **Lyle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lyle)
- **lode** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lode)
- **large** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-large)
- **lodge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lodge)
- **lance** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lance)
- **lapse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lapse)
- **ledge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-ledge)
- **latte** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-latte)
- **Laude** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-laude)
- **Lille** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lille)
- **Layla** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-layla)
- **lathe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-lathe)
- **Laila** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ladle-vs-laila)

## Common misspellings (7)
`aldle`, `laddle`, `ladel`, `ladlle`, `lalde`, `ldale`, `lladle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/ladle