cotter

/kɒtə/

//kɒtə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cotter” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,401. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,401
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pin or wedge inserted through a slot to hold machine parts together.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cotter · cotter · English

cotter · rank #37,401 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,401
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cosgrove

Nearest frequency peer: Cosgrove (-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 “cotter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cotter” 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).

cotter vs cover
67% similar
cotter vs cower
67% similar
cotter vs cotton
67% similar

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

Key facts for cotter
PropertyValue
Headwordcotter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɒtə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#37,401
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cotter”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cotterlands 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 “Cosgrove” (#37,400), “cottonwood” (#37,402), “Corsica” (#37,399). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cotter” is #37,401. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around cotter (IPA /kɒtə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,401 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for cotter, with forms such as "ccotter", "coter", and "cotetr". 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, "cover", "cower", "cotton", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Unknown. The correct English form is cotter, spelled C-O-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pin or wedge inserted through a slot to hold machine parts together.
  2. 2
    A cotter pin.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The chains are secured to each end of the cast-iron arches by cotters.

Etymology

Unknown.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccotter
  • coter
  • cotetr
  • cotterr
  • cottre
  • ctoter
  • octter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cotter - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccotter1coter1cotetr2cotterr1cottre2ctoter2octter2
Edit distance from "cotter"

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 "cotter"?
"cotter" is spelled C-O-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /kɒtə/.
What does "cotter" mean?
As a noun, "cotter" means: A pin or wedge inserted through a slot to hold machine parts together.
What words are commonly confused with "cotter"?
"cotter" is commonly confused with "cover", "cower", "cotton". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cotter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cotter" is /kɒtə/. 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 "cotter"?
Unknown. 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 "cotter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

corrie#37,398Cristo#37,406Condon#37,393Colman#37,387

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

crème7 variantsclays7 variantscation7 variantsEloise7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list