codswallop
cods·wal·lop/ˈkɒdzˌwɒl.əp/noun, interjection
codswallop is spelled C-O-D-S-W-A-L-L-O-P: 10 letters and 3 syllables (cods·wal·lop). It appears about once in every 28 million words in written English, the 161,690th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, codswallop means “Senseless talk or writing; nonsense; rubbish” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in codswallop?
| Letters | 10: C-O-D-S-W-A-L-L-O-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: cods·wal·lop |
| In writing | about once in every 28 million words; the 161,690th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is codswallop?
Codswallop appears about once in every 28 million words in written English, the 161,690th 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 codswallop?
- UK /ˈkɒdzˌwɒl.əp/
Codswallop has 3 syllables, split cods·wal·lop in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-au-codswallop.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of codswallop
- cod's wallop
- cods wallop
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does codswallop mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
CommonwealthIrelandUKslangSenseless talk or writing; nonsense; rubbish.
interjection
- 1
CommonwealthIrelandUKslangUsed to express disbelief: nonsense!; rubbish!
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does codswallop come from?
Unknown. Attested from a 1959 episode of the UK TV series Hancock's Half Hour. The writers (Galton and Simpson) state that the phrase was in general use when the show was broadcast. A national TV appeal in the UK in 2006 failed to find earlier references, though a humorous newspaper column from 1947 does use the fictional name "Sir Aubrey Codswallop". Originally written (1963) codswallop; the spelling cod's wallop is later.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).