corniche

/kɔːˈniːʃ/

//kɔːˈniːʃ// noun

"corniche" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“corniche” is uncommon English (frequency #79,412 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#79,412
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A road built on a ledge (cliff), especially along water (a river, sea, etc).

Key facts for corniche
PropertyValue
Headwordcorniche
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔːˈniːʃ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#79,412
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “corniche” 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). corniche lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

corniche is uncommon English at frequency #79,412 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɔːˈniːʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A road built on a ledge (cliff), especially along water (a river, sea, etc).".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for corniche, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French corniche (“ledge”). The correct English form is corniche, spelled C-O-R-N-I-C-H-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A road built on a ledge (cliff), especially along water (a river, sea, etc).

Etymology

From French corniche (“ledge”).

This word in other languages

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 "corniche"?
"corniche" is spelled C-O-R-N-I-C-H-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔːˈniːʃ/.
What does "corniche" mean?
As a noun, "corniche" means: A road built on a ledge (cliff), especially along water (a river, sea, etc).
How do you pronounce "corniche"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "corniche" is /kɔːˈniːʃ/. 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 "corniche"?
From French corniche (“ledge”). 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 “corniche”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-R-N-I-C-H-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɔːˈniːʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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