cockspur

noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"cockspur" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cockspur” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A blade for tying to the foot of a gamecock.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cockspur · cockspur · English

cockspur · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 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.

Key facts for cockspur
PropertyValue
Headwordcockspur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cockspur” in English

cockspurfalls 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

cockspur is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cockspur, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cokkispore, equivalent to cock + spur. The correct English form is cockspur, spelled C-O-C-K-S-P-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A blade for tying to the foot of a gamecock.
  2. 2
    Grass of species (Echinochloa crus-galli).
  3. 3
    A hawthorn of species (Crataegus crus-galli).
  4. 4
    Orchard grass, a widely grown tall stout hay and pasture grass (Dactylis glomerata) of Eurasia.
  5. 5
    A small West Indian tree (Pisonia aculeata).
  6. 6
    Any of several spiny trees, formerly all of the genus Acacia, such as Vachellia cookii (cockspur acacia).
  7. 7
    Burgrass of species Cenchrus echinatus.
  8. 8
    An annual European weed of species Centaurea melitensis, naturalized in North and South America.
  9. 9
    Any plant of species Casearia aculeata, of the tropical Americas.

Etymology

From Middle English cokkispore, equivalent to cock + spur.

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 "cockspur"?
"cockspur" is spelled C-O-C-K-S-P-U-R.
What does "cockspur" mean?
As a noun, "cockspur" means: A blade for tying to the foot of a gamecock.
What is the origin of the word "cockspur"?
From Middle English cokkispore, equivalent to cock + spur. 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