cobweb

/ˈkɒbwɛb/

//ˈkɒbwɛb// noun

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

"cobweb" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cobweb” is uncommon English (frequency #67,317 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,317
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A spiderweb, or the remains of one, especially an asymmetrical one that is woven with an irregular pattern of threads.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cobweb · cobweb · English

cobweb · rank #67,317 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,317
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coalescing

Nearest frequency peer: coalescing (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “cobweb”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cobweb” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cobweb
PropertyValue
Headwordcobweb
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒbwɛb/
Letters6
Frequency rank#67,317
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cobweb” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cobwebfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “coalescing” (#67,316), “cloying” (#67,315), “collegium” (#67,319). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cobweb” is #67,317. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cobweb is uncommon English at frequency #67,317 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɒbwɛb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

cobweb doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English copweb, coppeweb. Compare Middle Dutch kopwebbe, German Low German Kobbenwebbe (Westphalian). By surface analysis, cob (“spider”, obsolete) + web. The correct English form is cobweb, spelled C-O-B-W-E-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A spiderweb, or the remains of one, especially an asymmetrical one that is woven with an irregular pattern of threads.
  2. 2
    One of its filaments; gossamer.
  3. 3
    Something thin and unsubstantial, or flimsy and worthless; valueless remainder.
  4. 4
    An intricate plot to catch the unwary.
  5. 5
    A web page that either has not been updated for a long time, or that is rarely visited.
  6. 6
    The European spotted flycatcher, Muscicapa striata.
  7. 7
    fuzzy inexact memories.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] there was stretched across his gateway a circular cobweb of the largest kind and quite entire. This looked so ominous that I actually turned aside and went in the back way.
  2. A cobweb, night-spun, hung in an insidious circle from branch to branch, facing her. Early as it was, its first victim struggled in its gummy meshes.

Etymology

From Middle English copweb, coppeweb. Compare Middle Dutch kopwebbe, German Low German Kobbenwebbe (Westphalian). By surface analysis, cob (“spider”, obsolete) + web.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cobweb"?
"cobweb" is spelled C-O-B-W-E-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒbwɛb/.
What does "cobweb" mean?
As a noun, "cobweb" means: A spiderweb, or the remains of one, especially an asymmetrical one that is woven with an irregular pattern of threads.
How do you pronounce "cobweb"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cobweb" is /ˈkɒbwɛb/. 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 "cobweb"?
From Middle English copweb, coppeweb. Compare Middle Dutch kopwebbe, German Low German Kobbenwebbe (Westphalian). By surface analysis, cob (“spider”, obsolete) + web. 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 "cobweb", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

brogue#67,284demote#67,360blakey#67,265bemoan#67,251

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list