cosy

/ˈkəʊzi/

//ˈkəʊzi// adj

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

"cosy" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cosy” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,301. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,301
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Affording comfort and warmth; snug; social and comfortable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cosy · cosy · English

cosy · rank #19,301 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,301
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Corbyn

Nearest frequency peer: Corbyn (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cosy”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cosy” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cosy vs cs
50% similar
cosy vs cry
50% similar
cosy vs cow
50% similar

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

Key facts for cosy
PropertyValue
Headwordcosy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈkəʊzi/
Letters4
Frequency rank#19,301
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cosy”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Corbyn” (#19,300), “crease” (#19,303), “contentious” (#19,298). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cosy” is #19,301. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around cosy (IPA /ˈkəʊzi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #19,301 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for cosy, with forms such as "ccosy", "cossy", and "cosyy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cs", "cry", "cow", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Scots cosie, from Old Scots colsie, but ultimate derivation is unknown. Possibly of North Germanic origin, such as Norwegian kose seg (“to have a cozy time”), from Old Norse kose sig, from koselig, koslig, perhaps ultimately from Old High German kōsa; … The correct English form is cosy, spelled C-O-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Affording comfort and warmth; snug; social and comfortable.
  2. 2
    Warm and comfortable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how cosy appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Mr. Pickwick expressed the pleasure it would afford him to meet the medical fellows; and Mr. Bob Sawyer had informed him that he meant to be very cosey, and that his friend Ben was to be one of the party, they shook hands and separated
  2. One of us must marry well; Meg didn't, Jo won't, Beth can't, yet,—so I shall, and make everything cosy all round.

Etymology

From Scots cosie, from Old Scots colsie, but ultimate derivation is unknown. Possibly of North Germanic origin, such as Norwegian kose seg (“to have a cozy time”), from Old Norse kose sig, from koselig, koslig, perhaps ultimately from Old High German kōsa; see modern German kosen (“to cuddle”).

This word in other languages

acogedor(Español)douillet(Français)gemütlich(Deutsch)íntimo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccosy
  • cossy
  • cosyy
  • coys
  • csoy
  • ocsy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cosy - 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.

ccosy1cossy1cosyy1coys2csoy2ocsy2
Edit distance from "cosy"

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 "cosy"?
"cosy" is spelled C-O-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkəʊzi/.
What does "cosy" mean?
As an adjective, "cosy" means: Affording comfort and warmth; snug; social and comfortable.
What words are commonly confused with "cosy"?
"cosy" is commonly confused with "cs", "cry", "cow". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cosy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cosy" is /ˈkəʊzi/. 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 "cosy"?
From Scots cosie, from Old Scots colsie, but ultimate derivation is unknown. Possibly of North Germanic origin, such as Norwegian kose seg (“to have a cozy time”), from Old Norse kose sig, from koselig, koslig, perhaps ultimately from Old High Ger... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cosy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bray#19,275barb#19,268Gabe#19,345wits#19,257

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

Winnie6 variantsvolt6 variantsOlson6 variantspious6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list