English Word Reference Free

corky

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "corky", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Wiktionary, and usage frequency ranked against an open word-frequency list covering the top 100,000 English words. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "corky" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "corky" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

corky is anEnglishadj. It means: Of wine, contaminated by a faulty or tainted cork. Often confused with cry and coy.

Key facts for corky
PropertyValue
Headwordcorky
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdj
Letters5
Frequency rank#48,156
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of corky in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for corky is 5 letters long, classified as anadj. Corpus data places it at rank #48,156 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it.Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for corky, with forms such as "ccorky", "cokry", and "corkky". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cry", "coy", "corn", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cork (“stopper”) + -y. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is corky, spelled C-O-R-K-Y, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of wine, contaminated by a faulty or tainted cork.
  2. 2
    Consisting of, or like, cork; dry; shrivelled.

Etymology

From cork (“stopper”) + -y.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccorky,cokry,corkky,corkyy,corrky,coryk,croky,ocrky

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for corky

Misspelling Variants of "corky"

ccorky6cokry5corkky6corkyy6corrky6coryk5croky5ocrky5
Misspelling Variants of "corky"

Frequency rank: #48,156 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "corky"?
"corky" is spelled C-O-R-K-Y.
What does "corky" mean?
As an adj, "corky" means: Of wine, contaminated by a faulty or tainted cork.
What words are commonly confused with "corky"?
"corky" is commonly confused with "cry", "coy", "corn". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
What is the origin of the word "corky"?
From cork (“stopper”) + -y. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter C in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

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.