cogent

/ˈkəʊd͡ʒn̩t/

//ˈkəʊd͡ʒn̩t// adj

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

"cogent" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cogent” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,053. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,053
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cogent · cogent · English

cogent · rank #41,053 · 9 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,053
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH clickbait

Nearest frequency peer: clickbait (-4 rank slots)

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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cogent”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cogent” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cogent vs cont
67% similar
cogent vs count
67% similar
cogent vs Cohen
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for cogent
PropertyValue
Headwordcogent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkəʊd͡ʒn̩t/
Letters6
Frequency rank#41,053
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cogent” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).cogentlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “clickbait” (#41,049), “comprehensible” (#41,057), “CIF” (#41,048). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around cogent (IPA /ˈkəʊd͡ʒn̩t/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #41,053 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for cogent, with forms such as "ccogent", "cgoent", and "coegnt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "cont", "count", "Cohen", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French cogent, from Latin cōgēns, present active participle of cōgō (“drive together, compel”), from cō + agō (“drive”). The correct English form is cogent, spelled C-O-G-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence.
  2. 2
    Appealing to the intellect or powers of reasoning.
  3. 3
    Forcefully persuasive; relevant, pertinent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how cogent appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. We congratulate our correspondents on some very cogent reasoning, and shall have to watch our step even more carefully in future!
  2. Clearly, the mere fact that some Emergentists may in practice have made use of invented examples in testing their theories does not tell against any cogent general objections they may have offered to such practice. What is needed is a decision on the methodological point, not just a cry of “You did it too!”.

Etymology

From French cogent, from Latin cōgēns, present active participle of cōgō (“drive together, compel”), from cō + agō (“drive”).

Synonyms

compellingconclusiveconvincingindisputable

Antonyms

debatableirrelevantuncogent

This word in other languages

convincente(Español)convaincant(Français)überzeugend(Deutsch)convincente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccogent
  • cgoent
  • coegnt
  • cogennt
  • cogentt
  • cogetn
  • coggent
  • cognet
  • ocgent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cogent - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccogent1cgoent2coegnt2cogennt1cogentt1cogetn2coggent1cognet2
Edit distance from "cogent"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cogent"?
"cogent" is spelled C-O-G-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkəʊd͡ʒn̩t/.
What does "cogent" mean?
As an adjective, "cogent" means: Reasonable and convincing; based on evidence.
What words are commonly confused with "cogent"?
"cogent" is commonly confused with "cont", "count", "Cohen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cogent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cogent" is /ˈkəʊd͡ʒn̩t/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "cogent"?
From French cogent, from Latin cōgēns, present active participle of cōgō (“drive together, compel”), from cō + agō (“drive”). 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cogent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Danica#41,074Buchan#41,031delves#41,077Dhawan#41,081

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

cellist9 variantscreases9 variantsCargill9 variantsbiofuel9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list