colle

\kɔl\

/\kɔl\/ noun

The verdict

“colle” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #4,557 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,557
frequency rank, French
5
letters
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Matière adhérente qui permet de faire tenir l’un contre l’autre deux objets.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

colle vs cool
60% similar
colle vs côte
40% similar
colle vs come
60% similar

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

Key facts for colle
PropertyValue
Headwordcolle
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kɔl\
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,557
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “colle” sits in French 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). colle lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for colle is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kɔl\. Corpus data places it at rank #4,557 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for colle, with forms such as "ccolle", "clole", and "colel". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cool", "côte", "come", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is colle, spelled C-O-L-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Matière adhérente qui permet de faire tenir l’un contre l’autre deux objets.
  2. 2
    Examen oral en école préparatoire → voir khôlle.
  3. 3
    Question difficile, question dont on connaît la réponse pour tester les connaissances de quelqu’un.
  4. 4
    Retenue, punition au collège ou en lycée qui consiste à retenir l'élève après la fin des horaires de cours normaux, le jour même ou un autre jour.
  5. 5
    Mensonge, prétexte, fausse excuse.
  6. 6
    Groupe de vendangeurs.
  7. 7
    Substance protéique utilisé pour clarifier le vin, la bière ou autres liquides, par coagulation des impuretés.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccolle,clole,colel,oclle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of colle - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccolle1clole2colel2oclle2
Edit distance from "colle"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "colle"?
"colle" is spelled C-O-L-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔl\.
What does "colle" mean?
As a noun, "colle" means: Matière adhérente qui permet de faire tenir l’un contre l’autre deux objets.
What words are commonly confused with "colle"?
"colle" is commonly confused with "cool", "côte", "come". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "colle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "colle" is \kɔl\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "colle" come from?
"colle" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “colle”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-L-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔl\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cool” - see the side-by-side comparison. colle vs cool
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list