conker

/ˈkɒŋkə/

//ˈkɒŋkə// noun

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

The verdict

“conker” is uncommon English (frequency #91,373 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,373
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A horse chestnut, used in the game of conkers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-conker · conker · English

conker · rank #91,373 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,373
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH communitarian

Nearest frequency peer: communitarian (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “conker”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “conker” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for conker
PropertyValue
Headwordconker
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒŋkə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#91,373
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “conker” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).conkerfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “communitarian” (#91,372), “Conolly” (#91,374), “commodified” (#91,371). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “conker” is #91,373. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

conker is uncommon English at frequency #91,373 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɒŋkə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A horse chestnut, used in the game of conkers.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for conker, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From 19th-century dialect conker (“snail-shell”); the game of conkers was originally played using snail-shells; from conch + -er or a variant of conquer. The correct English form is conker, spelled C-O-N-K-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A horse chestnut, used in the game of conkers.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His bald spot gleams like a burnished conker.
  2. Unboxing conkers? What on earth are you talking about? Oh wow, you really are out of the loop, aren’t you? Gen Zers are taking to TikTok to film themselves unpeeling conkers from their spiky capsules.

Etymology

From 19th-century dialect conker (“snail-shell”); the game of conkers was originally played using snail-shells; from conch + -er or a variant of conquer.

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 "conker"?
"conker" is spelled C-O-N-K-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒŋkə/.
What does "conker" mean?
As a noun, "conker" means: A horse chestnut, used in the game of conkers.
How do you pronounce "conker"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "conker" is /ˈkɒŋkə/. 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 "conker"?
From 19th-century dialect conker (“snail-shell”); the game of conkers was originally played using snail-shells; from conch + -er or a variant of conquer. 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 "conker", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list