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 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,093
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An extensive, continent-wide chain of mountains, especially one in the Americas.

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)

Where “cordillera” 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). cordillera lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

cordillera is uncommon English at frequency #54,093 among 43,570 “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.

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.

Using “cordillera”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-R-D-I-L-L-E-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌkɔː(ɹ)dɪˈljɛəɹə/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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