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 12,113 “W” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,945
frequency rank, English
12,113
“W” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Containing or made from the whole grain, including the bran.

Key facts for wholemeal
PropertyValue
Headwordwholemeal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈhoʊlmiːl/
Letters9
Frequency rank#85,945
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “wholemeal” 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). wholemeal lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

wholemeal is uncommon English at frequency #85,945 among 12,113 “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.

Using “wholemeal”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is W-H-O-L-E-M-E-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhoʊlmiːl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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