cornet

/kɔɹˈnɛt/

//kɔɹˈnɛt// noun

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

"cornet" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cornet” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #36,504 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#36,504
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A musical instrument of the brass family, slightly smaller than a trumpet, usually in the musical key of B-flat.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cornet vs count
67% similar
cornet vs corny
67% similar
cornet vs covet
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for cornet
PropertyValue
Headwordcornet
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔɹˈnɛt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#36,504
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cornet” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cornet is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɔɹˈnɛt/. Corpus data places it at rank #36,504 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for cornet, with forms such as "ccornet", "conret", and "corent". 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. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "count", "corny", "covet", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cornet, from Old French cornet, a diminutive of a popular reflex of Latin cornū (“horn”). The correct English form is cornet, spelled C-O-R-N-E-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A musical instrument of the brass family, slightly smaller than a trumpet, usually in the musical key of B-flat.
  2. 2
    A piece of paper twisted to be used as a container.
  3. 3
    A pastry shell to be filled with ice-cream, hence (UK, dated) an ice cream cone.
  4. 4
    A troop of cavalry; so called from its being accompanied by a cornet player.
  5. 5
    A kind of organ stop.
  6. 6
    A hollow horn-like growth.

Etymology

From Middle English cornet, from Old French cornet, a diminutive of a popular reflex of Latin cornū (“horn”).

This word in other languages

corneta(Español)cornet(Français)Kornett(Deutsch)corneta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccornet,conret,corent,cornett,cornnet,cornte,corrnet,cronet,ocrnet

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccornet1conret2corent2cornett1cornnet1cornte2corrnet1cronet2
Edit distance from "cornet"

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 "cornet"?
"cornet" is spelled C-O-R-N-E-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔɹˈnɛt/.
What does "cornet" mean?
As a noun, "cornet" means: A musical instrument of the brass family, slightly smaller than a trumpet, usually in the musical key of B-flat.
What words are commonly confused with "cornet"?
"cornet" is commonly confused with "count", "corny", "covet". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cornet"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cornet" is /kɔɹˈnɛt/. 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 "cornet"?
From Middle English cornet, from Old French cornet, a diminutive of a popular reflex of Latin cornū (“horn”). 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.

Using “cornet”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-R-N-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɔɹˈnɛt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “count” - see the side-by-side comparison. cornet vs count
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list