cony

/ˈkəʊ.ni/

//ˈkəʊ.ni// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"cony" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cony” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
4
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A rabbit, especially the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (formerly known as Lepus cuniculus).

Key facts for cony
PropertyValue
Headwordcony
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkəʊ.ni/
Letters4
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cony” sits in English frequency

cony falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cony is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkəʊ.ni/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for cony, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cony, back formation from conies (plural), from Anglo-Norman conis, the plural of connil (“rabbit”), from Latin cunīculus, of unknown origin. Cognate to Catalan conill, Dutch konijn, German Kaninchen, Spanish conejo, and Portuguese coelh… The correct English form is cony, spelled C-O-N-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A rabbit, especially the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (formerly known as Lepus cuniculus).
  2. 2
    Rabbit fur.
  3. 3
    Locally for other rabbit-like or hyrax-like animals, such as the Cape hyrax (das, dassie) or the pika (Ochotona princeps, formerly Lagomys princeps).
  4. 4
    Locally for other rabbit-like or hyrax-like animals, such as the Cape hyrax (das, dassie) or the pika (Ochotona princeps, formerly Lagomys princeps).
  5. 5
    A simpleton; one who may be taken in by a cony-catcher.
  6. 6
    An edible West Indian fish, a grouper given in different sources as: Epinephelus apua, the hind of Bermuda; nigger-fish, Epinephelus punctatus; Cephalopholis fulva.
  7. 7
    Any of certain members of family Epinephelidae of Atlantic groupers, such as mutton hamlets, graysby, Cuban coneys, and rooster hinds.
  8. 8
    A burbot.
  9. 9
    A woman; a sweetheart.

Etymology

From Middle English cony, back formation from conies (plural), from Anglo-Norman conis, the plural of connil (“rabbit”), from Latin cunīculus, of unknown origin. Cognate to Catalan conill, Dutch konijn, German Kaninchen, Spanish conejo, and Portuguese coelho. The original pronunciation was /ˈkʌni/ (for the spelling, compare honey and money), but the similarity to cunt (and particularly homophony with cunny) led through taboo avoidance both to the word's displacement in the main by rabbit and bunny and to the spelling-pronunciation /ˈkəʊni/ becoming standard.

Synonyms

bunnyhareconeyconey-fish

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cony"?
"cony" is spelled C-O-N-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkəʊ.ni/.
What does "cony" mean?
As a noun, "cony" means: A rabbit, especially the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus (formerly known as Lepus cuniculus).
How do you pronounce "cony"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cony" is /ˈkəʊ.ni/. 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 "cony"?
From Middle English cony, back formation from conies (plural), from Anglo-Norman conis, the plural of connil (“rabbit”), from Latin cunīculus, of unknown origin. Cognate to Catalan conill, Dutch konijn, German Kaninchen, Spanish conejo, and Portug... 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.

Using “cony”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-N-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkəʊ.ni/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list