cord

/kɔɹd/

//kɔɹd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cord” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,328 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,328
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A long, thin, flexible length of twisted yarns (strands) of fibre (a rope, for example).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cord vs CR
0% similar
cord vs cry
50% similar
cord vs cow
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for cord
PropertyValue
Headwordcord
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔɹd/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,328
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cord” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cord is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɔɹd/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,328 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for cord, with forms such as "ccord", "codr", and "cordd". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CR", "cry", "cow", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English corde, from Old French corde, from Latin chorda, from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerH- (“bowels, intestines”)). Doublet of chord and cuerda. More at yarn and hernia. The correct English form is cord, spelled C-O-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, thin, flexible length of twisted yarns (strands) of fibre (a rope, for example).
  2. 2
    Any quantity of such material when viewed as a mass or commodity.
  3. 3
    A small flexible electrical conductor composed of wires insulated separately or in bundles and assembled together usually with an outer cover; the electrical cord of a lamp, sweeper ((US) vacuum cleaner), or other appliance.
  4. 4
    A unit of measurement for firewood, equal to 128 cubic feet (4 × 4 × 8 feet), composed of logs and/or split logs four feet long and none over eight inches diameter. It is usually seen as a stack four feet high by eight feet long.
  5. 5
    Any influence by which persons are caught, held, or drawn, as if by a cord.
  6. 6
    Any structure having the appearance of a cord, especially a tendon or nerve.
  7. 7
    Dated form of chord.
  8. 8
    Misspelling of chord, a cross-section measurement of an aircraft wing.

Etymology

From Middle English corde, from Old French corde, from Latin chorda, from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerH- (“bowels, intestines”)). Doublet of chord and cuerda. More at yarn and hernia.

Synonyms

cabletwinecableflex

This word in other languages

cuerda(Español)corde(Français)Schnur(Deutsch)corda(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccord,codr,cordd,corrd,crod,ocrd

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cord - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccord1codr2cordd1corrd1crod2ocrd2
Edit distance from "cord"

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 "cord"?
"cord" is spelled C-O-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔɹd/.
What does "cord" mean?
As a noun, "cord" means: A long, thin, flexible length of twisted yarns (strands) of fibre (a rope, for example).
What words are commonly confused with "cord"?
"cord" is commonly confused with "CR", "cry", "cow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cord"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cord" is /kɔɹd/. 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 "cord"?
From Middle English corde, from Old French corde, from Latin chorda, from Ancient Greek χορδή (khordḗ, “string of gut, the string of a lyre”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰerH- (“bowels, intestines”)). Doublet of chord and cuerda. More at yarn and ... 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 “cord”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɔɹd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “CR” - see the side-by-side comparison. cord vs CR
  • 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