cornerstone
/ˈkɔɹ.nɚ.stoʊn/noun
cornerstone is spelled C-O-R-N-E-R-S-T-O-N-E: 11 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cornerstone means “A stone forming the base at the corner of a building” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cornerstone is cornerstones.
How many letters and syllables are in cornerstone?
| Letters | 11: C-O-R-N-E-R-S-T-O-N-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.5 times per million words; the 17,342nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is cornerstone?
Cornerstone appears 2.5 times per million words in written English, the 17,342nd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cornerstone?
- UK /ˈkɔː.nə.stəʊn/
- US /ˈkɔɹ.nɚ.stoʊn/
Cornerstone has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-cornerstone.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with cornerstone
Also written: corner-stone (one word or two).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of cornerstone
- cornerstones plural
- corner stone
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cornerstone mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A stone forming the base at the corner of a building.
- 2
Such a stone used ceremonially, often inscribed with the architect's and owner's names, dates and other details.
The cornerstone on the Flatiron Building is set on the Fifth Avenue facade.
- 3
That which is prominent, fundamental, noteworthy, or central.
Exceptional service is the cornerstone of the hospitality industry.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cornerstone in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | pierre angulaire, pierre d'angle , première pierre |
| German | Eckstein , Grundstein , Eckpfeiler |
| Spanish | piedra angular , primera piedra , fundamento |
| Portuguese | primeira pedra, pedra angular , fundamento, princípio, base |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cornerstone come from?
From Middle English corner ston; equivalent to corner + stone. The figurative sense is in part after Psalm 118:22, and is also quoted several times in the New Testament.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).