cognate

/ˈkɒɡn(e)ɪt/

//ˈkɒɡn(e)ɪt// adj

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

"cognate" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cognate” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,851. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,851
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Allied by blood; kindred by birth; specifically (law) related on the mother's side.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cognate · cognate · English

cognate · rank #45,851 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #45,851
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Coelho

Nearest frequency peer: Coelho (-1 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 “cognate”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cognate” 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).

cognate vs conte
71% similar
cognate vs coinage
71% similar
cognate vs Colgate
57% similar

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

Key facts for cognate
PropertyValue
Headwordcognate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkɒɡn(e)ɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#45,851
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cognate”

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).cognatelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Coelho” (#45,850), “coking” (#45,852), “cloaking” (#45,848). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cognate” is #45,851. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around cognate (IPA /ˈkɒɡn(e)ɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #45,851 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for cognate, with forms such as "ccognate", "cgonate", and "cogante". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "conte", "coinage", "Colgate", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin cognātus (“related by blood”), from co- + gnātus (“born”). Compare Portuguese cognato and Spanish cognado. Doublet of connate and cognatus. The correct English form is cognate, spelled C-O-G-N-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Allied by blood; kindred by birth; specifically (law) related on the mother's side.
  2. 2
    Of the same or a similar nature; of the same family; proceeding from the same stock or root.
  3. 3
    Descended from the same source lexemes (same etymons) of an ancestor language.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. This explanation provoked further great hilarity among the members of the committee. And the frankness was admired by many with which Louit, on his return, confessed to having found, in the course of his excursion, three barns in all, of which two contained empty bottles and the third the skeleton of a goat. But in other quarters this and cognate statemen…

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cognātus (“related by blood”), from co- + gnātus (“born”). Compare Portuguese cognato and Spanish cognado. Doublet of connate and cognatus.

This word in other languages

emparentado(Español)apparenté(Français)kognat(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccognate
  • cgonate
  • cogante
  • coggnate
  • cognaet
  • cognatte
  • cognnate
  • cogntae
  • congate
  • ocgnate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cognate - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccognate1cgonate2cogante2coggnate1cognaet2cognatte1cognnate1cogntae2
Edit distance from "cognate"

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 "cognate"?
"cognate" is spelled C-O-G-N-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒɡn(e)ɪt/.
What does "cognate" mean?
As an adjective, "cognate" means: Allied by blood; kindred by birth; specifically (law) related on the mother's side.
What words are commonly confused with "cognate"?
"cognate" is commonly confused with "conte", "coinage", "Colgate". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cognate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cognate" is /ˈkɒɡn(e)ɪt/. 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 "cognate"?
Borrowed from Latin cognātus (“related by blood”), from co- + gnātus (“born”). Compare Portuguese cognato and Spanish cognado. Doublet of connate and cognatus. 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 "cognate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crevice#45,864crewman#45,865candied#45,832calcite#45,830

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

emptive10 variantsengined10 variantsastride10 variantsFalcone10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list