yolk

/jəʊk/

//jəʊk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“yolk” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,706. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,706
frequency rank, English
366
“Y” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The yellow, spherical part of an egg that is surrounded by the white albumen, and serves as nutriment for the growing young.

Corpus desk

Index EN-yolk · yolk · English

yolk · rank #27,706 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,706
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 366
  • PHOTO-FINISH yawning

Nearest frequency peer: yawning (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “yolk”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “yolk” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

yolk vs you
50% similar
yolk vs yoo
50% similar
yolk vs yon
50% similar

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

Key facts for yolk
PropertyValue
Headwordyolk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/jəʊk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#27,706
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “yolk”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).yolklands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “yawning” (#27,705), “yam” (#27,704), “workstation” (#27,703). Among 366 “Y” headwords, “yolk” is #27,706. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around yolk (IPA /jəʊk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,706 among 366 “Y” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for yolk, with forms such as "oylk", "ylok", and "yokl". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "you", "yoo", "yon", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English yolke, yelke, ȝolke, ȝelke, from Old English ġeolca, ġeoloca, ġioleca (“the yellow part, yolk”), from ġeolu (“yellow”). The correct English form is yolk, spelled Y-O-L-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    The yellow, spherical part of an egg that is surrounded by the white albumen, and serves as nutriment for the growing young.
  2. 2
    The grease in a sheep's fleece; lanolin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how yolk appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. To make meringue, you have to separate the white from the yolk.
  2. Wool-growers appear to entertain different opinions in regard to the effect which yolk has on the value of the fleece. Some seem to suppose that the aggregate amount which they receive for their wool is increased from the greater weight which it possesses by being charged with this substance[…]

Etymology

From Middle English yolke, yelke, ȝolke, ȝelke, from Old English ġeolca, ġeoloca, ġioleca (“the yellow part, yolk”), from ġeolu (“yellow”).

This word in other languages

yema(Español)jaune d'œuf(Français)Eigelb(Deutsch)gema(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oylk
  • ylok
  • yokl
  • yolkk
  • yollk
  • yyolk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oylk2ylok2yokl2yolkk1yollk1yyolk1
Edit distance from "yolk"

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 "yolk"?
"yolk" is spelled Y-O-L-K. The IPA pronunciation is /jəʊk/.
What does "yolk" mean?
As a noun, "yolk" means: The yellow, spherical part of an egg that is surrounded by the white albumen, and serves as nutriment for the growing young.
What words are commonly confused with "yolk"?
"yolk" is commonly confused with "you", "yoo", "yon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "yolk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "yolk" is /jəʊk/. 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 "yolk"?
From Middle English yolke, yelke, ȝolke, ȝelke, from Old English ġeolca, ġeoloca, ġioleca (“the yellow part, yolk”), from ġeolu (“yellow”). 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 "yolk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

blot#27,745bode#27,746Boer#27,747boos#27,751

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

amour6 variantsbanco6 variantsBenin6 variantsCohn6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list