cockchafer
/ˈkɒkˌt͡ʃeɪfɚ/
"cockchafer" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cockchafer” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the large European beetles from the genus Melolontha that are destructive to vegetation.
Corpus desk
Index EN-cockchafer · cockchafer · English
cockchafer · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 10 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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cockchafer |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɒkˌt͡ʃeɪfɚ/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “cockchafer” in English
Rare enough to double-check
cockchafer is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɒkˌt͡ʃeɪfɚ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
cockchafer doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From cock (“male bird”) + chafer (“beetle”). The Oxford English Dictionary speculates that the name may relate to a resemblance of antennae to coxcomb, or to the beetle’s size. Compare French hanneton (“cockchafer”), ultimately from Frankish *hanō (“rooster… The correct English form is cockchafer, spelled C-O-C-K-C-H-A-F-E-R.
Definition
- 1Any of the large European beetles from the genus Melolontha that are destructive to vegetation.
- 2Any of various other similar beetles, such as of the genera Acrossidius, Cyphochilus, Rhopaea, etc.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how cockchafer appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
To the person who shall discover to the Society an effectual method, verified by repeated and satisfactory trials, of destroying the Grub of the Cockchafer, so destructive to the roots of all sorts of Corn, Pease, Beans, and Turneps, the gold medal.
His impassioned words buzzed about my ears like cockchafers round the top of the lime-trees.
Etymology
From cock (“male bird”) + chafer (“beetle”). The Oxford English Dictionary speculates that the name may relate to a resemblance of antennae to coxcomb, or to the beetle’s size. Compare French hanneton (“cockchafer”), ultimately from Frankish *hanō (“rooster”). Attested from the late seventeenth century.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.