cockade

/kɒkˈeɪd/

//kɒkˈeɪd// noun

"cockade" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cockade” 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 rosette or knot of ribbon worn in a hat, especially as an office or party badge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cockade · cockade · English

cockade · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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.

Key facts for cockade
PropertyValue
Headwordcockade
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɒkˈeɪd/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cockade” in English

cockadefalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cockade is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɒkˈeɪd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cockade, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: Partial calque of French cocarde. The correct English form is cockade, spelled C-O-C-K-A-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A rosette or knot of ribbon worn in a hat, especially as an office or party badge.
  2. 2
    An emblem of concentric circles of different colours, identifying the country to which an aircraft belongs.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. […] and Nature had moreover wrote GENTLEMAN with so fair a hand in every line of his countenance, that even his tarnish’d gold-laced hat and huge cockade of flimsy taffeta became him; […]
  2. The escort were two mounted patriots in red caps and tri-coloured cockades, armed with national muskets and sabres, who rode one on either side of him.

Etymology

Partial calque of French cocarde.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cockade"?
"cockade" is spelled C-O-C-K-A-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɒkˈeɪd/.
What does "cockade" mean?
As a noun, "cockade" means: A rosette or knot of ribbon worn in a hat, especially as an office or party badge.
How do you pronounce "cockade"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cockade" is /kɒkˈeɪd/. 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 "cockade"?
Partial calque of French cocarde. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list