cormorant

/ˈkɔːməɹənt/

//ˈkɔːməɹənt// noun

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

"cormorant" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cormorant” is uncommon English (frequency #63,528 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,528
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various medium-large black seabirds of the family Phalacrocoracidae which dive into water for fish and other aquatic animals, found throughout the world except for islands in the centre of t...

Corpus desk

Index EN-cormorant · cormorant · English

cormorant · rank #63,528 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,528
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH copse

Nearest frequency peer: copse (-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 “cormorant”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cormorant
PropertyValue
Headwordcormorant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɔːməɹənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#63,528
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cormorant” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cormorantfalls 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: “copse” (#63,526), “conversationalist” (#63,525), “crafter” (#63,532). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cormorant” is #63,528. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cormorant is uncommon English at frequency #63,528 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɔːməɹənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

cormorant doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: PIE word *ḱorh₂wós From Middle English cormeraunt (“great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo); other types of aquatic bird”) [and other forms], from Old French cormaran, cor-maraunt [and other forms] (modern French cormoran), possibly variants of *corp-marin, … The correct English form is cormorant, spelled C-O-R-M-O-R-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various medium-large black seabirds of the family Phalacrocoracidae which dive into water for fish and other aquatic animals, found throughout the world except for islands in the centre of the Pacific Ocean; specifically, the great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo).
  2. 2
    A voracious eater; also, a person who, or thing which, is aggressively greedy for wealth, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Th' Eele-murthering Hearne, and greedy Cormorant, / That neare the Creekes in moriſh Marſhes haunt.
  2. Thence up he [Satan] flew, and on the Tree of Life, / The middle Tree and higheſt there that grew, / Sat like a Cormorant; […]

Etymology

PIE word *ḱorh₂wós From Middle English cormeraunt (“great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo); other types of aquatic bird”) [and other forms], from Old French cormaran, cor-maraunt [and other forms] (modern French cormoran), possibly variants of *corp-marin, from Medieval Latin corvus marīnus (literally “sea-raven”), with the ending -morant possibly derived from French moran (“marine, maritime”), from Breton mor (“sea”), with -an corrupted in English to -ant. Latin corvus is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *ḱorh₂wós (“raven”), which is imitative of the harsh cry of the bird; while marīnus (“of or pertaining to the sea, marine”) is from Latin mare (“sea”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *móri (“sea; standing water”), possibly from *mer- (“sea; lake; wetland”)) + -īnus (suffix meaning ‘of or pertaining to’). Cognates * Catalan corbmari * Occitan corpmari * Portuguese corvomarinho

This word in other languages

cormoran(Français)Kormoran(Deutsch)

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 "cormorant"?
"cormorant" is spelled C-O-R-M-O-R-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɔːməɹənt/.
What does "cormorant" mean?
As a noun, "cormorant" means: Any of various medium-large black seabirds of the family Phalacrocoracidae which dive into water for fish and other aquatic animals, found throughout the world except for islands in the centre of t...
How do you pronounce "cormorant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cormorant" is /ˈkɔːməɹənt/. 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 "cormorant"?
PIE word *ḱorh₂wós From Middle English cormeraunt (“great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo); other types of aquatic bird”) [and other forms], from Old French cormaran, cor-maraunt [and other forms] (modern French cormoran), possibly variants of *co... 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 "cormorant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

confiding#63,523crossrail#63,534coalfield#63,512deferment#63,552

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list