cochlea
/ˈkoʊ.kli.ə/noun
cochlea is spelled C-O-C-H-L-E-A: 7 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,055th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cochlea means “The complex, spirally coiled, tapered cavity of the inner ear of higher vertebrates, which contains the organ of Corti and in which sound vibrations…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cochlea is cochleae or cochleas.
How many letters and syllables are in cochlea?
| Letters | 7: C-O-C-H-L-E-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 5 million words; the 69,055th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cochlea?
Cochlea appears about once in every 5 million words in written English, the 69,055th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cochlea?
- UK /ˈkɒk.li.ə/
- US /ˈkoʊ.kli.ə/
- US /ˈkɑ.kli.ə/
Cochlea has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cochlea.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-cochlea.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cochlea
- cochleae plural
- cochleas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cochlea mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
The complex, spirally coiled, tapered cavity of the inner ear of higher vertebrates, which contains the organ of Corti and in which sound vibrations are converted into nerve impulses.
- 2
A spiral-shaped shell, especially that of a snail.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cochlea in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense Translations:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cochlée |
| German | Hörschnecke |
| Portuguese | caracol, cóclea |
| Spanish | cóclea |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cochlea come from?
Borrowed from Latin cochlea (“a snail”), from Ancient Greek κόχλιας (kókhlias, “a snail with a spiral shell”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).