# vole

> English word · Noun · IPA /vəʊl/ · frequency rank #45,158

## Definitions
1. Any of a large number of species of small rodents of the tribes Arvicolini, Ellobiusini, Clethrionomyini, Pliomyini, Phenacomyini and Prometheomyini.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Norn vollj, from Old Norse vǫllr (“field”), from Proto-Germanic *walþuz (“forest”). The Orkney dialectal term vole mouse, lit. “field mouse”, was introduced to general English by George Barry in 1805; John Fleming in 1828 was first to refer to the creature by the epithet vole alone. Displaced earlier names for these species which also classified them as mice, e.g. short-tailed field mouse.

## Easily confused with
- **vow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-vow)
- **vox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-vox)
- **Vos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-vos)
- **vor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-vor)
- **vom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-vom)
- **vote** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-vote)
- **volt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-volt)
- **Voss** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-voss)
- **votes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-votes)
- **voter** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-voter)
- **Volvo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-volvo)
- **vowed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-vowed)
- **vowel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-vowel)
- **volta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-volta)
- **Volga** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-volga)
- **volume** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-volume)
- **volley** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vole-vs-volley)
- **vo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vo-vs-vole)
- **vol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/vol-vs-vole)
- **val** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/val-vs-vole)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ovle`, `vloe`, `voel`, `volle`, `vvole`

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