zeal

/ziːl/

//ziːl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“zeal” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,275. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,275
frequency rank, English
265
“Z” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The fervour or tireless devotion for a person, cause, or ideal and determination in its furtherance; diligent enthusiasm; powerful interest.

Corpus desk

Index EN-zeal · zeal · English

zeal · rank #20,275 · 5 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #20,275
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 265
  • PHOTO-FINISH Yosemite

Nearest frequency peer: Yosemite (-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 “zeal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “zeal” 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).

zeal vs Zen
25% similar
zeal vs zee
50% similar
zeal vs zed
50% similar

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

Key facts for zeal
PropertyValue
Headwordzeal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ziːl/
Letters4
Frequency rank#20,275
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “zeal”

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).zeallands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Yosemite” (#20,274), “ying” (#20,273), “abort” (#20,277). Among 265 “Z” headwords, “zeal” is #20,275. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around zeal (IPA /ziːl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,275 among 265 “Z” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for zeal, with forms such as "ezal", "zael", and "zeall". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "Zen", "zee", "zed", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English zele, from Old French zel, from Late Latin zēlus, from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”), from Proto-Indo-European *yeh₂- (“to search”). Related to jealous. The correct English form is zeal, spelled Z-E-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    The fervour or tireless devotion for a person, cause, or ideal and determination in its furtherance; diligent enthusiasm; powerful interest.
  2. 2
    A person who exhibits such fervour or tireless devotion.
  3. 3
    A group of zebras.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She extols the virtues of veganism with missionary zeal.
  2. I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

Etymology

From Middle English zele, from Old French zel, from Late Latin zēlus, from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”), from Proto-Indo-European *yeh₂- (“to search”). Related to jealous.

This word in other languages

ahínco(Español)zèle(Français)Eifer(Deutsch)zelo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ezal
  • zael
  • zeall
  • zela
  • zzeal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of zeal - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ezal2zael2zeall1zela2zzeal1
Edit distance from "zeal"

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 "zeal"?
"zeal" is spelled Z-E-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ziːl/.
What does "zeal" mean?
As a noun, "zeal" means: The fervour or tireless devotion for a person, cause, or ideal and determination in its furtherance; diligent enthusiasm; powerful interest.
What words are commonly confused with "zeal"?
"zeal" is commonly confused with "Zen", "zee", "zed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "zeal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "zeal" is /ziːl/. 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 "zeal"?
From Middle English zele, from Old French zel, from Late Latin zēlus, from Ancient Greek ζῆλος (zêlos, “zeal, jealousy”), from Proto-Indo-European *yeh₂- (“to search”). Related to jealous. 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 "zeal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ying#20,273whim#20,266cont#20,320Cora#20,322

Similar misspelling depth

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

puke5 variantsprem5 variantspore5 variantshuts5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list