Cortisol

[kɔʁtiˈzoːl]

/[kɔʁtiˈzoːl]/ noun

The verdict

“Cortisol” is uncommon German (frequency #79,030 among 20,081 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,030
frequency rank, German
20,081
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - in der Nebennierenrinde produziertes und Entzündungen hemmendes Hormon, das für viele Stoffwechselvorgänge zuständig ist und unter anderem den Blutzuckerspiegel durch Bereitstellung von Glukose erh...

Key facts for Cortisol
PropertyValue
HeadwordCortisol
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[kɔʁtiˈzoːl]
Letters8
Frequency rank#79,030
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Cortisol” sits in German 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). Cortisol 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

Cortisol is uncommon German at frequency #79,030 among 20,081 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed [kɔʁtiˈzoːl]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "in der Nebennierenrinde produziertes und Entzündungen hemmendes Hormon, das für viele Stoffwechselvorgänge zuständig ist und unter anderem den Blutzuckerspiegel durch Bereitstellung von Glukose erh...".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Cortisol, suggesting the orthography follows predictable German patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Cortisol, spelled C-O-R-T-I-S-O-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    in der Nebennierenrinde produziertes und Entzündungen hemmendes Hormon, das für viele Stoffwechselvorgänge zuständig ist und unter anderem den Blutzuckerspiegel durch Bereitstellung von Glukose erhöht, um in Stresssituationen Energie zur Verfügung zu stellen

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Cortisol"?
"Cortisol" is spelled C-O-R-T-I-S-O-L. The IPA pronunciation is [kɔʁtiˈzoːl].
What does "Cortisol" mean?
As a noun, "Cortisol" means: in der Nebennierenrinde produziertes und Entzündungen hemmendes Hormon, das für viele Stoffwechselvorgänge zuständig ist und unter anderem den Blutzuckerspiegel durch Bereitstellung von Glukose erh...
How do you pronounce "Cortisol"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Cortisol" is [kɔʁtiˈzoːl]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Cortisol" come from?
"Cortisol" is a German 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.

Using “Cortisol”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is C-O-R-T-I-S-O-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [kɔʁtiˈzoːl] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words

Other uncommon German 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