# sock

> English word · Noun · IPA /sɒk/ · frequency rank #12,864

## Definitions
1. A knitted or woven covering for the foot.
2. Synonym of soccus, a light shoe worn by Ancient Greek and Roman comedic actors.
3. The lower leg of an animal (of an animal) that is a different color (usually white) from the color pattern on the rest of the animal.
4. A sleeve for a microphone to reduce noise.
5. Ellipsis of gun sock.
6. Ellipsis of sock puppet.
7. Ellipsis of windsock.

## Etymology
From Middle English socke, sokke, sok, from Old English socc (“sock, light shoe, slipper”), a West Germanic borrowing from Latin soccus (“a light shoe or slipper, buskin”), from Ancient Greek σύκχος (súkkhos, “a kind of shoe”), probably from Phrygian or from an Anatolian language. Beekes compares Avestan 𐬵𐬀𐬑𐬀 (haxa, “sole of the foot”). Cognate with Scots sok (“sock, stocking”), West Frisian sok (“sock”), Dutch sok (“sock”), German Socke (“sock”), Danish sok, sokke (“sock”), Swedish sock, socka (“sock”), Icelandic sokkur (“sock”). Doublet of zocco; also related to zoccolo, socle, and zocalo.

## Easily confused with
- **son** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-son)
- **sox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sox)
- **sol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sol)
- **soy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-soy)
- **sow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sow)
- **SOS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sos)
- **sod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sod)
- **som** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-som)
- **SSC** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-ssc)
- **soe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-soe)
- **sop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sop)
- **soi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-soi)
- **sou** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sou)
- **sor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sor)
- **sot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sot)
- **sov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-sov)
- **some** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-some)
- **such** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-such)
- **soon** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-soon)
- **song** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sock-vs-song)

## Common misspellings (6)
`osck`, `scok`, `socck`, `sockk`, `sokc`, `ssock`

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