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cotton

cot·ton/ˈkɑt.n̩/noun, adjective, verb

cotton is spelled C-O-T-T-O-N: 6 letters and 2 syllables (cot·ton). It appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 3,939th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cotton means “A soft, fibrous, usually white substance consisting of fine hairs, especially the substance around the seeds of a plant of genus Gossypium” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cotton is cottons.

How many letters and syllables are in cotton?

Letters6: C-O-T-T-O-N
Syllables2: cot·ton
In writing22 times per million words; the 3,939th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.

How common is cotton?

Cotton appears 22 times per million words in written English, the 3,939th 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 cotton?

  • UK /ˈkɒt.n̩/
  • UK [ˈkʰɒt.n̩]
  • US /ˈkɑt.n̩/

Cotton has 2 syllables, split cot·ton in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-cotton.wav, En-us-cotton.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with cotton?

3 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as cotton from its last stressed vowel (/ɑtn/):

Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).

Forms of cotton

  • cottons plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • cottoning participle, present
  • cottoned participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does cotton mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A soft, fibrous, usually white substance consisting of fine hairs, especially the substance around the seeds of a plant of genus Gossypium.

  2. 2

    Any similar soft, fibrous, white substance of fine hairs, of any origin.

  3. 3

    A plant of genus Gossypium, used as a source of such fiber.

  4. 4

    Any plant that encases its seed in a thin fiber that is harvested and used as a fabric or cloth.

  5. 5

    Textiles made from the fiber harvested from a cotton plant, especially Gossypium.

  6. 6

    An item of clothing made from such textiles.

  7. 7

    A small piece of cotton used as a filter when drawing up a drug into a syringe.

  8. 8

    Thread of such fiber.

  9. 9

    A liking.

adjective

  1. 1

    Made of cotton.

verb

  1. 1

    To provide with cotton.

  2. 2

    To supply with a cotton wick.

  3. 3

    To fill with a wad of cotton.

  4. 4

    To wrap with a protective layer of cotton fabric.

  5. 5

    To cover walls with fabric.

  6. 6

    To cover with cotton bolls over a layer of tar (analogous to tar and feather )

  7. 7

    To raise a nap, providing with a soft, cottony texture.

  8. 8

    To develop a porous, cottony texture.

  9. 9

    To get on with someone or something; to have a good relationship with someone.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

How do you abbreviate cotton?

Wiktionary records one abbreviation of cotton: Co.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Cotton in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchcoton (any plant yielding fiber like that of Gossypium), cotonnade (fabric)
GermanBaumwolle (any plant yielding fiber like that of Gossypium), Bàuimwulla (fiber), baumwollen, Baumwoll-, aus Baumwolle (made of cotton)
Portuguesealgodão (any plant yielding fiber like that of Gossypium), de algodão (made of cotton), dar-se bem (have a good relationship)
Spanishalgodón (any plant yielding fiber like that of Gossypium), de algodón (made of cotton), llevarse bien (have a good relationship)

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.

Where does cotton come from?

From Middle English cotoun, from Anglo-Norman cotun, Old French coton, from (Genoese) Old Italian cotone, from Arabic قُطُن (quṭun), from Hebrew כֻּתֹּנֶת (kuttṓnĕṯ).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after cotton