cock-up
"cock-up" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cock-up” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A mistake.
Corpus desk
Index EN-cock-up · cock-up · English
cock-up · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cock-up |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “cock-up” in English
Rare enough to double-check
cock-up is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
cock-up has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: A deverbal from cock up. The correct English form is cock-up, spelled C-O-C-K---U-P.
Definition
- 1A mistake.
- 2A superior letter; a lower-case letter placed above the baseline and made smaller than ordinary script; traditionally used in abbreviations.
- 3A roll or twist of hair worn at the nape of the neck; a bun.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how cock-up appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
If the zodiac was already developed in 2000 BC, it must have been kept as a cult secret or in some non-Babylonian country; this would be a 1500-year conspiracy theory. More likely is the individual cockup theory, viz. the naivety of Eudoxus himself.
And I'm sorry for all the cock-ups, my cabinet are absolute crap. We'll have to do better next year.
Etymology
A deverbal from cock up.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.