cotter
/kɑtɚ/noun, verb
cotter is spelled C-O-T-T-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cotter means “A pin or wedge inserted through a slot to hold machine parts together” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cotter is cotters.
How many letters and syllables are in cotter?
| Letters | 6: C-O-T-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 37,459th 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 cotter?
Cotter appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 37,459th 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 cotter?
- UK /kɒtə/
- US /kɑtɚ/
Cotter has 2 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)-Neøn-cotter.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of cotter
- cotters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cottering participle, present
- cottered participle, past
- cottar
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cotter mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A pin or wedge inserted through a slot to hold machine parts together.
- 2
informalA cotter pin.
- 3
A peasant who performed labour in exchange for the right to live in a cottage.
verb
- 1
To fasten with a cotter.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Where does cotter come from?
Unknown.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).