wholemeal

/ˈhoʊlmiːl/

//ˈhoʊlmiːl// adj

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

"wholemeal" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“wholemeal” is uncommon English (frequency #85,945 among 1,759 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,945
frequency rank, English
1,759
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Containing or made from the whole grain, including the bran.

Corpus desk

Index EN-wholemeal · wholemeal · English

wholemeal · rank #85,945 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,945
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,759
  • PHOTO-FINISH Whittlesey

Nearest frequency peer: Whittlesey (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “wholemeal”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “wholemeal” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for wholemeal
PropertyValue
Headwordwholemeal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhoʊlmiːl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#85,945
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “wholemeal” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Whittlesey” (#85,944), “windchill” (#85,946), “woa” (#85,947). Among 1,759 “W” headwords, “wholemeal” is #85,945. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

wholemeal is uncommon English at frequency #85,945 among 1,759 “W” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈhoʊlmiːl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

wholemeal doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From whole + meal. The correct English form is wholemeal, spelled W-H-O-L-E-M-E-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Containing or made from the whole grain, including the bran.
  2. 2
    Containing or made from the whole grain, including the bran.

Etymology

From whole + meal.

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 "wholemeal"?
"wholemeal" is spelled W-H-O-L-E-M-E-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhoʊlmiːl/.
What does "wholemeal" mean?
As an adjective, "wholemeal" means: Containing or made from the whole grain, including the bran.
How do you pronounce "wholemeal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "wholemeal" is /ˈhoʊlmiːl/. 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 "wholemeal"?
From whole + meal. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "wholemeal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

windchill#85,946womenfolk#85,948wonderboy#85,949Zoroaster#85,964

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list