cogent
/ˈkoʊd͡ʒn̩t/adjective
cogent is spelled C-O-G-E-N-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, cogent means “Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in cogent?
| Letters | 6: C-O-G-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 41,154th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cogent?
Cogent appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 41,154th 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 cogent?
- UK /ˈkəʊd͡ʒn̩t/
- US /ˈkoʊd͡ʒn̩t/
Cogent has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cogent.ogg, En-au-cogent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cogent
- more cogent comparative
- most cogent superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cogent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence.
- 2
Appealing to the intellect or powers of reasoning.
- 3
Forcefully persuasive; relevant, pertinent.
The prosecution presented a cogent argument, convincing the jury of the defendant's guilt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cogent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | convaincant, persuasif, cohérent , intelligible, logique , irréfutable |
| German | überzeugend, zwingend , schlagend, stichhaltig |
| Portuguese | convincente , coerente , cogente |
| Spanish | contundente , irrebatible |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cogent come from?
From French cogent, from Latin cōgēns, present active participle of cōgō (“drive together, compel”), from cō + agō (“drive”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).