countersign
"countersign" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“countersign” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A second signature added to a document to affirm the validity of the signature of the first person.
Corpus desk
Index EN-countersign · countersign · English
countersign · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "C" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | countersign |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “countersign” in English
Rare enough to double-check
countersign is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No misspelling variants are generated for countersign in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French contresigne. Equivalent to counter- + sign. The correct English form is countersign, spelled C-O-U-N-T-E-R-S-I-G-N.
Definition
- 1A second signature added to a document to affirm the validity of the signature of the first person.
- 2The response to a sign or signal.
Recorded use
Wiktionary exampleThese source excerpts show how countersign appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Only those who give the countersign may enter the Masonic Lodge.
Etymology
From Middle French contresigne. Equivalent to counter- + sign.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.