sole

/səʊl/

//səʊl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“sole” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,411 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#4,411
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Only.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

sole vs son
50% similar
sole vs sue
50% similar
sole vs sox
50% similar

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

Key facts for sole
PropertyValue
Headwordsole
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/səʊl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,411
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sole” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for sole is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /səʊl/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,411 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for sole, with forms such as "osle", "sloe", and "soel". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "son", "sue", "sox", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English sole, soule, from Old French sol, soul (“alone”), from Latin sōlus (“alone, single, solitary, lonely”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (reflexive pronoun). Perhaps related to Old Latin sollus (“whole, complete”), from Proto-Ind… The correct English form is sole, spelled S-O-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Only.
  2. 2
    Unmarried (especially of a woman); widowed.
  3. 3
    Unique; unsurpassed.
  4. 4
    With independent power; unfettered.

Etymology

From Middle English sole, soule, from Old French sol, soul (“alone”), from Latin sōlus (“alone, single, solitary, lonely”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (reflexive pronoun). Perhaps related to Old Latin sollus (“whole, complete”), from Proto-Indo-European *solh₂- (“safe, healthy”). More at save.

Synonyms

individualfirst and lastloneoneone and onlyonlysinglesingularsolesolitaryunitary

Antonyms

accompanyingcollectivefellowmanyone of many

This word in other languages

solo(Español)unique(Français)einzig(Deutsch)único(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: osle,sloe,soel,solle,ssole

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

osle2sloe2soel2solle1ssole1
Edit distance from "sole"

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 "sole"?
"sole" is spelled S-O-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səʊl/.
What does "sole" mean?
As an adjective, "sole" means: Only.
What words are commonly confused with "sole"?
"sole" is commonly confused with "son", "sue", "sox". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sole"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sole" is /səʊl/. 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 "sole"?
From Middle English sole, soule, from Old French sol, soul (“alone”), from Latin sōlus (“alone, single, solitary, lonely”). Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swé (reflexive pronoun). Perhaps related to Old Latin sollus (“whole, complete”), from... 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.

Using “sole”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-O-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səʊl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “son” - see the side-by-side comparison. sole vs son
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list