cootie

/ˈkuːti/

//ˈkuːti// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cootie” is uncommon English (frequency #96,886 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,886
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A louse (Pediculus humanus).

Corpus desk

Index EN-cootie · cootie · English

cootie · rank #96,886 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #96,886
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cornball

Nearest frequency peer: cornball (+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 “cootie”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cootie
PropertyValue
Headwordcootie
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkuːti/
Letters6
Frequency rank#96,886
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cootie” 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).cootiefalls 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: “cornball” (#96,887), “Cookeville” (#96,884), “correctable” (#96,889). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cootie” is #96,886. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cootie is uncommon English at frequency #96,886 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkuːti/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for cootie, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from Malay kutu (“flea, louse”) (and/or Tagalog/Māori). First attested in English in 1917 as British army slang during World War I. The correct English form is cootie, spelled C-O-O-T-I-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A louse (Pediculus humanus).
  2. 2
    Any germ or contaminant, real or imagined, especially from the opposite gender (for pre-pubescent children).
  3. 3
    A nest-building female American coot (counterpart to cooter).
  4. 4
    A sideswiper, a type of telegraph key.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "Tell Rilla I'm glad her war-baby is turning out so well, and tell Susan that I'm fighting a good fight against both Huns and cooties." "Mrs. Dr. dear," whispered Susan solemnly, "what are cooties?" Mrs. Blythe whispered back and then said in reply to Susan's horrified ejaculations, "It's always like that in the trenches, Susan." Susan shook her head and…
  2. I’m not drinking from his glass until I wash the cooties off it.

Etymology

Probably from Malay kutu (“flea, louse”) (and/or Tagalog/Māori). First attested in English in 1917 as British army slang during World War I.

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 "cootie"?
"cootie" is spelled C-O-O-T-I-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkuːti/.
What does "cootie" mean?
As a noun, "cootie" means: A louse (Pediculus humanus).
How do you pronounce "cootie"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cootie" is /ˈkuːti/. 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 "cootie"?
Probably from Malay kutu (“flea, louse”) (and/or Tagalog/Māori). First attested in English in 1917 as British army slang during World War I. 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 "cootie", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Cowden#96,895Colima#96,873clumpy#96,868currey#96,904

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list