cal

[ˈkal]

/[ˈkal]/ noun

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

The verdict

“cal” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #7,675) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#7,675
frequency rank, Spanish
8,288
“C” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Óxido de calcio; sustancia blanca, ligera, cáustica y alcalina, que en estado natural se halla siempre combinada con alguna otra.

Corpus desk

Index ES-cal · cal · Spanish

cal · rank #7,675 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,675
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,288
  • PHOTO-FINISH caga

Nearest frequency peer: caga (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “cal”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “cal” sits against the nearest ranked Spanish headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

cal vs co
33% similar
cal vs CC
0% similar
cal vs CD
0% similar

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

Key facts for cal
PropertyValue
Headwordcal
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈkal]
Letters3
Frequency rank#7,675
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cal” sits in Spanish 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).cal lands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for cal is neighbouring look-alikes ("co", "CC", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced [ˈkal]. Frequency #7,675 among 8,288 “C” headwords. Gloss: "Óxido de calcio; sustancia blanca, ligera, cáustica y alcalina, que en estado natural se halla siempre combinada con alguna otra.".

cal has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "co", "CC", "CD", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct Spanish form is cal, spelled C-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Óxido de calcio; sustancia blanca, ligera, cáustica y alcalina, que en estado natural se halla siempre combinada con alguna otra.

This word in other languages

lime(English)chaux(Français)

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cal"?
"cal" is spelled C-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈkal].
What does "cal" mean?
As a noun, "cal" means: Óxido de calcio; sustancia blanca, ligera, cáustica y alcalina, que en estado natural se halla siempre combinada con alguna otra.
What words are commonly confused with "cal"?
"cal" is commonly confused with "co", "CC", "CD". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cal" is [ˈkal]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cal" come from?
"cal" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 Spanish words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked Spanish headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Tim#7,635tic#7,634tel#7,632Jim#7,740

What to do next

You've looked up "cal". Here's where to go from here.

  • "cal" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "co". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #7,675 among Spanish headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more Spanish words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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