coquetry

/ˈkɒkɪtɹi/

//ˈkɒkɪtɹi// noun

"coquetry" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coquetry” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Coquettish behaviour; actions designed to excite erotic attention, without intending to reciprocate such feelings (chiefly of women towards men); flirtatious teasing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-coquetry · coquetry · English

coquetry · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 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.

Key facts for coquetry
PropertyValue
Headwordcoquetry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒkɪtɹi/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “coquetry” in English

coquetrysits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

coquetry is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɒkɪtɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for coquetry, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French coquetterie. The correct English form is coquetry, spelled C-O-Q-U-E-T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Coquettish behaviour; actions designed to excite erotic attention, without intending to reciprocate such feelings (chiefly of women towards men); flirtatious teasing.
  2. 2
    An act constituting such behaviour; an affectation of amorous interest or enticement, especially of a woman directed towards a man.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. With a lover […] her sensibility will naturally lead her to endeavour to excite emotion, not to gratify her vanity, but her heart. This I do not allow to be coquetry, it is the artless impulse of nature […]
  2. The little coquetries, which are as natural to a gay young girl as her laughter, were all in full play, and had she gone no further no harm would have been done.

Etymology

From French coquetterie.

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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "coquetry"?
"coquetry" is spelled C-O-Q-U-E-T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒkɪtɹi/.
What does "coquetry" mean?
As a noun, "coquetry" means: Coquettish behaviour; actions designed to excite erotic attention, without intending to reciprocate such feelings (chiefly of women towards men); flirtatious teasing.
How do you pronounce "coquetry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coquetry" is /ˈkɒkɪtɹi/. 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 "coquetry"?
From French coquetterie. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list