course

/kɔːs/

//kɔːs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“course” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #343 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#343
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sequence of events.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

course vs cure
67% similar
course vs court
67% similar
course vs curve
67% similar

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

Key facts for course
PropertyValue
Headwordcourse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɔːs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#343
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “course” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). course lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for course is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kɔːs/. Corpus data places it at rank #343 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 25 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for course, with forms such as "ccourse", "coruse", and "coures". 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, "cure", "court", "curve", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cours, from Old French cours, from Latin cursus (“course of a race”), from currō (“run”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”). Doublet of cursus and cour. The correct English form is course, spelled C-O-U-R-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sequence of events.
  2. 2
    A sequence of events.
  3. 3
    A sequence of events.
  4. 4
    A sequence of events.
  5. 5
    A sequence of events.
  6. 6
    A sequence of events.
  7. 7
    A sequence of events.
  8. 8
    A sequence of events.
  9. 9
    A sequence of events.
  10. 10
    A sequence of events.
  11. 11
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  12. 12
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  13. 13
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  14. 14
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  15. 15
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  16. 16
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  17. 17
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  18. 18
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  19. 19
    A path that something or someone moves along.
  20. 20
    The lowest square sail in a fully rigged mast, often named according to the mast.
  21. 21
    Menses.
  22. 22
    A row or file of objects.
  23. 23
    A row or file of objects.
  24. 24
    A row or file of objects.
  25. 25
    One or more strings on some musical instruments (such as the guitar, lute or vihuela): if multiple, then closely spaced, tuned in unison or octaves and intended to be played together.

Etymology

From Middle English cours, from Old French cours, from Latin cursus (“course of a race”), from currō (“run”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”). Doublet of cursus and cour.

This word in other languages

transcurso(Español)cours(Français)Kurs(Deutsch)curso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccourse,coruse,coures,courrse,coursse,cousre,cuorse,ocurse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of course - 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.

ccourse1coruse2coures2courrse1coursse1cousre2cuorse2ocurse2
Edit distance from "course"

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 "course"?
"course" is spelled C-O-U-R-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɔːs/.
What does "course" mean?
As a noun, "course" means: A sequence of events.
What words are commonly confused with "course"?
"course" is commonly confused with "cure", "court", "curve". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "course"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "course" is /kɔːs/. 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 "course"?
From Middle English cours, from Old French cours, from Latin cursus (“course of a race”), from currō (“run”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”). Doublet of cursus and cour. 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.

Using “course”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-U-R-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɔːs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cure” - see the side-by-side comparison. course vs cure
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list