come-on
/ˈkʌmˌɑn/
"come-on" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“come-on” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something intended to attract, as in an advertisement.
Corpus desk
Index EN-come-on · come-on · English
come-on · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | come-on |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkʌmˌɑn/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “come-on” in English
Rare enough to double-check
come-on is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkʌmˌɑn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for come-on in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Deverbal from come on to. First use appears c. 1897, in the publications of Edward W. Townsend. See cite below. The correct English form is come-on, spelled C-O-M-E---O-N.
Definition
- 1Something intended to attract, as in an advertisement.
- 2A statement or sometimes an action reflecting sexual or romantic interest.
- 3A bad actor whose talents do not extend far beyond walking onto the stage.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how come-on appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The free offers are just come-ons to get you in the store so the sales staff can work on you.
He's got a come-on from New Jersey that I'm to steer to the turning joint.
Etymology
Deverbal from come on to. First use appears c. 1897, in the publications of Edward W. Townsend. See cite below.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.