corduroy

/ˈkɔːdəɹɔɪ/

//ˈkɔːdəɹɔɪ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“corduroy” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #48,155. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#48,155
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A heavy fabric, usually made of cotton, with vertical ribs.

Corpus desk

Index EN-corduroy · corduroy · English

corduroy · rank #48,155 · 12 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #48,155
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH corky

Nearest frequency peer: corky (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “corduroy”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “corduroy” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for corduroy
PropertyValue
Headwordcorduroy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɔːdəɹɔɪ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#48,155
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “corduroy”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “corky” (#48,156), “Copacabana” (#48,153), “cookware” (#48,151). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “corduroy” is #48,155. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around corduroy (IPA /ˈkɔːdəɹɔɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #48,155 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for corduroy, with forms such as "ccorduroy", "codruroy", and "cordduroy". 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. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: Origin uncertain. Probably from cord + duroy (“a 17th century coarse fabric made in England”). Probably not from French *corde du roi (“cloth of the king”), which is unattested in French, where the term for the corduroy is velours côtelé. Possibly from cord… The correct English form is corduroy, spelled C-O-R-D-U-R-O-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A heavy fabric, usually made of cotton, with vertical ribs.
  2. 2
    Cheap and poor-quality whiskey.
  3. 3
    A pattern on snow resulting from the use of a snow groomer to pack snow and improve skiing, snowboarding and snowmobile trail conditions. Corduroy is widely regarded as a good surface on which to ski or ride.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Sunning himself on the board steps, I saw for the first time Mr. Farquhar Fenelon Cooke.[…]A silver snaffle on a heavy leather watch guard which connected the pockets of his corduroy waistcoat, together with a huge gold stirrup in his Ascot tie, sufficiently proclaimed his tastes.
  2. We turned to see a muscular young man lounging in the door which led into the sitting-room. He wore green corduroy trousers, a duffle coat and an old school tie.

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Probably from cord + duroy (“a 17th century coarse fabric made in England”). Probably not from French *corde du roi (“cloth of the king”), which is unattested in French, where the term for the corduroy is velours côtelé. Possibly from cordesoy from corde de soie (“rope of silk or silk-like fabric”), named for example in a 1756 advertisement for clothing fabrics; see Wikipedia article, and comparable in language form to the contemporary serg(e)dusoys (“silk serge”), see Serge (fabric).

This word in other languages

pana(Español)velours côtelé(Français)Cord(Deutsch)bombazina(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccorduroy
  • codruroy
  • cordduroy
  • cordruoy
  • corduory
  • corduroyy
  • cordurroy
  • corduryo
  • corrduroy
  • corudroy
  • croduroy
  • ocrduroy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of corduroy - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccorduroy1codruroy2cordduroy1cordruoy2corduory2corduroyy1cordurroy1corduryo2
Edit distance from "corduroy"

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 "corduroy"?
"corduroy" is spelled C-O-R-D-U-R-O-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɔːdəɹɔɪ/.
What does "corduroy" mean?
As a noun, "corduroy" means: A heavy fabric, usually made of cotton, with vertical ribs.
What are common misspellings of "corduroy"?
Common misspellings include "ccorduroy", "codruroy", "cordduroy", "cordruoy", "corduory". The correct spelling is "corduroy".
How do you pronounce "corduroy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "corduroy" is /ˈkɔːdəɹɔɪ/. 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 "corduroy"?
Origin uncertain. Probably from cord + duroy (“a 17th century coarse fabric made in England”). Probably not from French *corde du roi (“cloth of the king”), which is unattested in French, where the term for the corduroy is velours côtelé. Possibly... 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 "corduroy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cookware#48,151crandall#48,162coauthor#48,146chatroom#48,133

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Chastain12 variantsbookworm12 variantsAlgernon12 variantsadjuvant12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list