cordillera

/ˌkɔː(ɹ)dɪˈljɛəɹə/

//ˌkɔː(ɹ)dɪˈljɛəɹə// noun

"cordillera" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cordillera” is uncommon English (frequency #54,093 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,093
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An extensive, continent-wide chain of mountains, especially one in the Americas.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cordillera · cordillera · English

cordillera · rank #54,093 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,093
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH contrite

Nearest frequency peer: contrite (-2 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 “cordillera”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cordillera
PropertyValue
Headwordcordillera
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌkɔː(ɹ)dɪˈljɛəɹə/
Letters10
Frequency rank#54,093
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cordillera” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).cordillerafalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “contrite” (#54,091), “Crabbe” (#54,095), “conformational” (#54,090). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cordillera” is #54,093. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cordillera is uncommon English at frequency #54,093 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌkɔː(ɹ)dɪˈljɛəɹə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "An extensive, continent-wide chain of mountains, especially one in the Americas.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for cordillera, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. 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 Spanish cordillera, from Old Spanish cordilla, cordiella, diminutive of cuerda (“a rope, string”). See cord. The correct English form is cordillera, spelled C-O-R-D-I-L-L-E-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An extensive, continent-wide chain of mountains, especially one in the Americas.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Meronym: sierra

Etymology

From Spanish cordillera, from Old Spanish cordilla, cordiella, diminutive of cuerda (“a rope, string”). See cord.

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 "cordillera"?
"cordillera" is spelled C-O-R-D-I-L-L-E-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌkɔː(ɹ)dɪˈljɛəɹə/.
What does "cordillera" mean?
As a noun, "cordillera" means: An extensive, continent-wide chain of mountains, especially one in the Americas.
How do you pronounce "cordillera"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cordillera" is /ˌkɔː(ɹ)dɪˈljɛəɹə/. 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 "cordillera"?
From Spanish cordillera, from Old Spanish cordilla, cordiella, diminutive of cuerda (“a rope, string”). See cord. 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 "cordillera", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list