cornelian
"cornelian" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cornelian” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 9
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Alternative form of carnelian.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cornelian |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 9 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cornelian” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cornelian is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for cornelian, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French corneline (French cornaline), from Medieval Latin cornus or cornum after the berry Cornus mas (cornelian cherry). The correct English form is cornelian, spelled C-O-R-N-E-L-I-A-N.
Definition
- 1Alternative form of carnelian.
- 2Any of various lycaenid butterflies of the genus Deudorix.
Etymology
From Old French corneline (French cornaline), from Medieval Latin cornus or cornum after the berry Cornus mas (cornelian cherry).
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “cornelian”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-R-N-E-L-I-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.