cognizance
cog·ni·zance/ˈkɑɡnɪzəns/noun
cognizance is spelled C-O-G-N-I-Z-A-N-C-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables (cog·ni·zance). It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cognizance means “An emblem, badge or device, used as a distinguishing mark by the body of retainers of a royal or noble house” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cognizance is cognizances.
How many letters and syllables are in cognizance?
| Letters | 10: C-O-G-N-I-Z-A-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: cog·ni·zance |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 70,702nd 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 cognizance?
Cognizance appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 70,702nd 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 cognizance?
- UK /ˈkɒɡnɪzəns/
- US /ˈkɑɡnɪzəns/
- Australia /ˈkɔɡnɪzəns/
Cognizance has 3 syllables, split cog·ni·zance in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cognizance.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cognizance
- cognizances plural
- cognisance
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cognizance mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An emblem, badge or device, used as a distinguishing mark by the body of retainers of a royal or noble house.
- 2
Notice or awareness.
- 3
Jurisdiction.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does cognizance come from?
From Middle English conysaunce, from Old French conysance (“recognition," later, "knowledge”), from Old French conoissance (“acquaintance, recognition; knowledge, wisdom”), from conoistre (“to know”), from Latin cognōscō (“know”), from con- (“with”) + gnōscō (“know”). By surface analysis, cogniz(e) (a back-formation) + -ance.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).