connote

/kəˈnəʊt/

//kəˈnəʊt// verb

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

The verdict

“connote” is uncommon English (frequency #97,964 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#97,964
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To signify beyond its literal or principal meaning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-connote · connote · English

connote · rank #97,964 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #97,964
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conjunctive

Nearest frequency peer: conjunctive (-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 “connote”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for connote
PropertyValue
Headwordconnote
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəˈnəʊt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#97,964
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “connote” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).connotefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “conjunctive” (#97,963), “confraternity” (#97,962), “constitutively” (#97,966). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “connote” is #97,964. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

connote is uncommon English at frequency #97,964 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /kəˈnəʊt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for connote, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Medieval Latin connotō (“signify beyond literal meaning”), from com- (“together”), + notō (“mark”). The correct English form is connote, spelled C-O-N-N-O-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To signify beyond its literal or principal meaning.
  2. 2
    To possess an inseparable related condition; to imply as a logical consequence.
  3. 3
    To express without overt reference; to imply.
  4. 4
    To require as a logical predicate to consequence.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Racism often connotes an underlying fear or ignorance.
  2. Poverty connotes hunger.

Etymology

From Medieval Latin connotō (“signify beyond literal meaning”), from com- (“together”), + notō (“mark”).

Synonyms

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); 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 "connote"?
"connote" is spelled C-O-N-N-O-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəˈnəʊt/.
What does "connote" mean?
As a verb, "connote" means: To signify beyond its literal or principal meaning.
How do you pronounce "connote"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "connote" is /kəˈnəʊt/. 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 "connote"?
From Medieval Latin connotō (“signify beyond literal meaning”), from com- (“together”), + notō (“mark”). 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 "connote", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list