Cosa Nostra

[ˌkoːza ˈnɔstʁa]

/[ˌkoːza ˈnɔstʁa]/ name

The verdict

“Cosa Nostra” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as a proper noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts auf Sizilien entstandene Verbrecherorganisation

Corpus desk

Index DE-cosa-nostra · Cosa Nostra · German

Cosa Nostra · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for Cosa Nostra
PropertyValue
HeadwordCosa Nostra
LanguageGerman
Part of speechProper noun
IPA[ˌkoːza ˈnɔstʁa]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Langschwanz-Rang von „Cosa Nostra“ im Deutschen

Cosa Nostrasitzt jenseits der 100.000 häufigsten deutschen Formen, im Schwanz spezialisierten oder seltenen Wortschatzes.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

Cosa Nostra is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as aproper noun, transcribed [ˌkoːza ˈnɔstʁa]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts auf Sizilien entstandene Verbrecherorganisation".

No misspelling variants are generated for Cosa Nostra in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

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 Cosa Nostra, spelled C-O-S-A- -N-O-S-T-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts auf Sizilien entstandene Verbrecherorganisation

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. „Laut Pruno hatte sie dort auch zweimal geheiratet - erst einen jungen Sizilianer aus einer prominenten Familie der Cosa Nostra, der es schaffte, sich umbringen zu lassen, dann einen älteren italienischen Adligen, einen Grafen namens Pietro Adolfo Ferrara.“

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Cosa Nostra"?
"Cosa Nostra" is spelled C-O-S-A- -N-O-S-T-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is [ˌkoːza ˈnɔstʁa].
What does "Cosa Nostra" mean?
As a proper noun, "Cosa Nostra" means: in der ersten Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts auf Sizilien entstandene Verbrecherorganisation
How do you pronounce "Cosa Nostra"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Cosa Nostra" is [ˌkoːza ˈnɔstʁa]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Cosa Nostra" come from?
"Cosa Nostra" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list