courier

/ˈkʊ.ɹi.ə/

//ˈkʊ.ɹi.ə// noun

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

"courier" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“courier” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,526. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,526
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who delivers messages.

Corpus desk

Index EN-courier · courier · English

courier · rank #11,526 · 9 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,526
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH countdown

Nearest frequency peer: countdown (-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 “courier”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “courier” 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).

courier vs curie
71% similar
courier vs course
71% similar
courier vs courses
71% similar

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

Key facts for courier
PropertyValue
Headwordcourier
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʊ.ɹi.ə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#11,526
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “courier”

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).courierlands 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 “countdown” (#11,525), “danced” (#11,527), “copying” (#11,524). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “courier” is #11,526. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around courier (IPA /ˈkʊ.ɹi.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,526 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for courier, with forms such as "ccourier", "coruier", and "couirer". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "curie", "course", "courses", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a convergence of Middle English corour, currour, from Old French coreor, agent noun of corir (“to run”), and Middle English courier, a borrowing of Middle French courrier, from Italian corriere. The correct English form is courier, spelled C-O-U-R-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who delivers messages.
  2. 2
    A company that delivers messages.
  3. 3
    A company that transports goods.
  4. 4
    A user who earns access to a topsite by uploading warez.
  5. 5
    A person who looks after and guides tourists.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You can always find musicians. There are more trackers than coders, pixelers, organizers, couriers, and designers combined.
  2. These sites have enormous hard drives and bandwidth for couriers to distribute the software from one site to the next.

Etymology

From a convergence of Middle English corour, currour, from Old French coreor, agent noun of corir (“to run”), and Middle English courier, a borrowing of Middle French courrier, from Italian corriere.

This word in other languages

mensajero(Español)coursier(Français)Reiseführer(Deutsch)guia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccourier
  • coruier
  • couirer
  • coureir
  • courierr
  • courire
  • courrier
  • cuorier
  • ocurier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of courier - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccourier1coruier2couirer2coureir2courierr1courire2courrier1cuorier2
Edit distance from "courier"

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 "courier"?
"courier" is spelled C-O-U-R-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʊ.ɹi.ə/.
What does "courier" mean?
As a noun, "courier" means: A person who delivers messages.
What words are commonly confused with "courier"?
"courier" is commonly confused with "curie", "course", "courses". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "courier"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "courier" is /ˈkʊ.ɹi.ə/. 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 "courier"?
From a convergence of Middle English corour, currour, from Old French coreor, agent noun of corir (“to run”), and Middle English courier, a borrowing of Middle French courrier, from Italian corriere. 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 "courier", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

copying#11,524drummer#11,535durable#11,536bonding#11,511

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

danced9 variantsdefect9 variantsbreeds9 variantsbounds9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list