coat

/ˈkoʊ̯t/

//ˈkoʊ̯t// noun

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

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

The verdict

“coat” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,867. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,867
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.

Corpus desk

Index EN-coat · coat · English

coat · rank #3,867 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,867
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cents

Nearest frequency peer: cents (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “coat”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “coat” sits against the nearest ranked English 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).

coat vs CT
0% similar
coat vs cut
50% similar
coat vs cop
50% similar

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

Key facts for coat
PropertyValue
Headwordcoat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkoʊ̯t/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,867
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coat” sits in English 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).coat lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around coat (IPA /ˈkoʊ̯t/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,867 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for coat, with forms such as "caot", "ccoat", and "coatt". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CT", "cut", "cop", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cote, coate, cotte, from Old French cote, cotte (“outer garment with sleeves”), from Latin cotta (“undercoat, tunic”), from Proto-Germanic *kuttô, *kuttǭ (“cowl, woolen cloth, coat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷewd-, *gud- (“woolen clot… The correct English form is coat, spelled C-O-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
  2. 2
    A covering of material, such as paint.
  3. 3
    The fur or feathers covering an animal's skin.
  4. 4
    Canvas painted with thick tar and secured round a mast or bowsprit to prevent water running down the sides into the hold (now made of rubber or leather).
  5. 5
    A petticoat.
  6. 6
    The habit or vesture of an order of men, indicating the order or office; cloth.
  7. 7
    A coat of arms.
  8. 8
    A coat card.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar.
  2. Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days.[…]Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas.

Etymology

From Middle English cote, coate, cotte, from Old French cote, cotte (“outer garment with sleeves”), from Latin cotta (“undercoat, tunic”), from Proto-Germanic *kuttô, *kuttǭ (“cowl, woolen cloth, coat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷewd-, *gud- (“woolen clothes”). Cognate with Old High German kozza, kozzo (“woolen coat”) (German Kotze (“coarse woolen blanket; woolen cape”)), Middle Low German kot (“coat”), Middle Dutch cote (“coat”), Ancient Greek βεῦδος (beûdos, “woman's attire”).

This word in other languages

abrigo(Español)manteau(Français)Mantel(Deutsch)casaco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • caot
  • ccoat
  • coatt
  • cota
  • ocat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of coat - 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.

caot2ccoat1coatt1cota2ocat2
Edit distance from "coat"

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.

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 "coat"?
"coat" is spelled C-O-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkoʊ̯t/.
What does "coat" mean?
As a noun, "coat" means: An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
What words are commonly confused with "coat"?
"coat" is commonly confused with "CT", "cut", "cop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coat" is /ˈkoʊ̯t/. 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 "coat"?
From Middle English cote, coate, cotte, from Old French cote, cotte (“outer garment with sleeves”), from Latin cotta (“undercoat, tunic”), from Proto-Germanic *kuttô, *kuttǭ (“cowl, woolen cloth, coat”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷewd-, *gud- (“w... 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 "coat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ears#3,877fate#3,880ward#3,854gene#3,883

Similar misspelling depth

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

tube5 variantshook5 variantsEPIC5 variantsexit5 variants

What to do next

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

  • "coat" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "CT". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,867 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

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