# coax

> English word · Verb · IPA /kəʊks/ · frequency rank #30,368

## Definitions
1. To fondle, kid, pet, tease.
2. To wheedle or persuade (a person, organisation, animal etc.) gradually or by use of flattery to do something.
3. To carefully manipulate (someone or something) into a particular desired state, situation or position.

## Etymology
Originally (1586) in the slang phrase to make a coax of, from earlier noun coax, cox, cokes "fool, simpleton", itself of obscure origin, perhaps related to cock (“male bird, pert boy”). The modern spelling is from 1706.

## Easily confused with
- **CX** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cx)
- **cop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cop)
- **con** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-con)
- **cow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cow)
- **cos** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cos)
- **col** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-col)
- **cox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cox)
- **cod** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cod)
- **cor** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cor)
- **coo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-coo)
- **CPA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cpa)
- **cot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cot)
- **Coe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-coe)
- **coz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-coz)
- **CSA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-csa)
- **coy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-coy)
- **cob** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cob)
- **cog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cog)
- **CTA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cta)
- **Cov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coax-vs-cov)

## Common misspellings (5)
`caox`, `ccoax`, `coaxx`, `coxa`, `ocax`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/coax