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coin

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

4 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "coin", 4-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "coin" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "coin" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

coin is aEnglishnoun. It means: A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle. Pronounced /kɔɪn/. It ranks #5,201 in English word frequency. Often confused with cop and con.

Key facts for coin
PropertyValue
Headwordcoin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔɪn/
Letters4
Frequency rank#5,201
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of coin in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for coin is 4 letters long, classified as anoun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɔɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,201 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 5 documented wrong-spelling variants for coin, with forms such as "ccoin", "cion", and "coinn". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cop", "con", "cow", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English coyn, from Old French coigne (“wedge, cornerstone, die for stamping”), from Latin cuneus (“wedge”). Doublet of coign and cuneus. See also quoin (“cornerstone”). Displaced Middle English mynt, from Old English mynet (whence modern English… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is coin, spelled C-O-I-N, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle.
  2. 2
    A token used in a special establishment like a casino.
  3. 3
    That which serves for payment or recompense.
  4. 4
    Something in broad circulation or use.
  5. 5
    Money in general, not limited to coins.
  6. 6
    One of the suits of minor arcana in tarot, or a card of that suit.
  7. 7
    A corner or external angle.
  8. 8
    A small circular slice of food.
  9. 9
    Ellipsis of cryptocoin; a cryptocurrency.

Etymology

From Middle English coyn, from Old French coigne (“wedge, cornerstone, die for stamping”), from Latin cuneus (“wedge”). Doublet of coign and cuneus. See also quoin (“cornerstone”). Displaced Middle English mynt, from Old English mynet (whence modern English mint), which was derived from Latin monēta.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccoin,cion,coinn,coni,ocin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for coin

Misspelling Variants of "coin"

ccoin5cion4coinn5coni4ocin4
Misspelling Variants of "coin"

Frequency rank: #5,201 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "coin"?
"coin" is spelled C-O-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔɪn/.
What does "coin" mean?
As a noun, "coin" means: A piece of currency, usually metallic and in the shape of a disc, but sometimes polygonal, or with a hole in the middle.
What words are commonly confused with "coin"?
"coin" is commonly confused with "cop", "con", "cow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coin" is /kɔɪn/. 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 "coin"?
From Middle English coyn, from Old French coigne (“wedge, cornerstone, die for stamping”), from Latin cuneus (“wedge”). Doublet of coign and cuneus. See also quoin (“cornerstone”). Displaced Middle English mynt, from Old English mynet (whence mode... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.