Cossack

Name: Cossack, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkɒsˌæk/

//ˈkɒsˌæk// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“Cossack” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,936. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,936
frequency rank, English: 43,570
“C” headwords: 9
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A member or descendant of an originally (semi-)nomadic population of Eastern Europe and the adjacent parts of Asia, formed in part of runaways from neighbouring countries, that eventually settled i...

Key facts for Cossack
Property	Value
Headword	Cossack
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈkɒsˌæk/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#36,936
Misspellings tracked	9
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Cossack” 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). Cossack lands here:

#36,936

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Cossack (IPA /ˈkɒsˌæk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,936 among 43,570 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Cossack, with forms such as "ccossack", "cosack", and "cosasck". 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. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French cosaque, from Middle Polish Kozak, from , from Kipchak *qazaq (whence Armeno-Kipchak խազախ (xazax)), from Old Turkic 𐰴𐰔𐰍𐰸 (*qazǧaq, “profiteer”), from 𐰴𐰔𐰍𐰣𐰢𐰴 (qazǧanmaq, “to acquire”), from 𐰴𐰔𐰢𐰴 (qazmaq, “to dig out”), from … The correct English form is Cossack, spelled C-O-S-S-A-C-K.

Definition

1
A member or descendant of an originally (semi-)nomadic population of Eastern Europe and the adjacent parts of Asia, formed in part of runaways from neighbouring countries, that eventually settled in parts of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Russian tsarist Empire and constituted a military caste, particularly in areas now comprising southern Russia and Ukraine.
2
A member of a military unit (typically cavalry, originally recruited exclusively from the above).
3
A Ukrainian.
4
A mercenary, a violent thug: a regular or irregular soldier, police officer or security guard employed to persecute or oppress disfavoured groups, such as Jews or (striking) workers.

Etymology

From Middle French cosaque, from Middle Polish Kozak, from , from Kipchak *qazaq (whence Armeno-Kipchak խազախ (xazax)), from Old Turkic 𐰴𐰔𐰍𐰸 (*qazǧaq, “profiteer”), from 𐰴𐰔𐰍𐰣𐰢𐰴 (qazǧanmaq, “to acquire”), from 𐰴𐰔𐰢𐰴 (qazmaq, “to dig out”), from Proto-Turkic *kaŕ-. Doublet of Kazakh. First appears c. 1587 in the writings of George Turberville.

This word in other languages

Cosaque(Français)Kosak(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

ccossack
cosack
cosasck
cossacck
cossackk
cossakc
cosscak
csosack
ocssack

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Cossack - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "Cossack"

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 "Cossack"?

"Cossack" is spelled C-O-S-S-A-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒsˌæk/.

What does "Cossack" mean?

As a noun, "Cossack" means: A member or descendant of an originally (semi-)nomadic population of Eastern Europe and the adjacent parts of Asia, formed in part of runaways from neighbouring countries, that eventually settled i...

What are common misspellings of "Cossack"?

Common misspellings include "ccossack", "cosack", "cosasck", "cossacck", "cossackk". The correct spelling is "Cossack".

How do you pronounce "Cossack"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Cossack" is /ˈkɒsˌæk/. 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 "Cossack"?

From Middle French cosaque, from Middle Polish Kozak, from , from Kipchak *qazaq (whence Armeno-Kipchak խազախ (xazax)), from Old Turkic 𐰴𐰔𐰍𐰸 (*qazǧaq, “profiteer”), from 𐰴𐰔𐰍𐰣𐰢𐰴 (qazǧanmaq, “to acquire”), from 𐰴𐰔𐰢𐰴 (qazmaq, “to dig ou... 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 “Cossack”

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

The one correct English spelling is C-O-S-S-A-C-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈkɒsˌæk/ (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

Same frequency band

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.