coccyx
/ˈkɑksɪks/
"coccyx" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“coccyx” is uncommon English (frequency #79,390 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #79,390
- frequency rank, English
- 43,570
- “C” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The final (bottom-most) fused vertebrae at the base of the spine, the tailbone.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | coccyx |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɑksɪks/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #79,390 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “coccyx” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
coccyx is uncommon English at frequency #79,390 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɑksɪks/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The final (bottom-most) fused vertebrae at the base of the spine, the tailbone.".
coccyx doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin coccyx, from Ancient Greek κόκκυξ (kókkux, “cuckoo”), referring to the curved shape of a cuckoo's beak when viewed from the side. The correct English form is coccyx, spelled C-O-C-C-Y-X.
Definition
- 1The final (bottom-most) fused vertebrae at the base of the spine, the tailbone.
Etymology
From Latin coccyx, from Ancient Greek κόκκυξ (kókkux, “cuckoo”), referring to the curved shape of a cuckoo's beak when viewed from the side.
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 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "coccyx"?
What does "coccyx" mean?
How do you pronounce "coccyx"?
What is the origin of the word "coccyx"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “coccyx”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-C-C-Y-X - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɑksɪks/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English 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.