coffee grounds

noun

"coffee-grounds" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coffee grounds” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
14
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The sediment that remains after ground coffee beans have been extracted with hot water.

Key facts for coffee grounds
PropertyValue
Headwordcoffee grounds
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters14
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coffee grounds” sits in English frequency

coffee grounds falls 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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for coffee grounds is 14 letters long, classified as a noun. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

coffee grounds has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From coffee + grounds. Compare German Kaffeegrund (“coffee grounds”). The correct English form is coffee grounds, spelled C-O-F-F-E-E- -G-R-O-U-N-D-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The sediment that remains after ground coffee beans have been extracted with hot water.
  2. 2
    Synonym of coffee ground vomitus.

Etymology

From coffee + grounds. Compare German Kaffeegrund (“coffee grounds”).

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 "coffee grounds"?
"coffee grounds" is spelled C-O-F-F-E-E- -G-R-O-U-N-D-S.
What does "coffee grounds" mean?
As a noun, "coffee grounds" means: The sediment that remains after ground coffee beans have been extracted with hot water.
What is the origin of the word "coffee grounds"?
From coffee + grounds. Compare German Kaffeegrund (“coffee grounds”). 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.

Using “coffee grounds”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-F-F-E-E- -G-R-O-U-N-D-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list