courser

/ˈkɜːsə/

//ˈkɜːsə// noun

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

The verdict

“courser” is uncommon English (frequency #94,717 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#94,717
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A dog used for coursing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-courser · courser · English

courser · rank #94,717 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #94,717
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cowichan

Nearest frequency peer: Cowichan (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “courser”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “courser” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for courser
PropertyValue
Headwordcourser
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɜːsə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#94,717
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “courser” in English

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).courserfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Cowichan” (#94,718), “cosign” (#94,715), “Corydon” (#94,714). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “courser” is #94,717. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

courser is uncommon English at frequency #94,717 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɜːsə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

courser has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English courser, Anglo-Norman cursier, corser, from Medieval Latin cursārius. By surface analysis, course + -er. Doublet of corsair and hussar. The correct English form is courser, spelled C-O-U-R-S-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dog used for coursing.
  2. 2
    A hunter who practises coursing.
  3. 3
    A swift horse; a racehorse or a charger.
  4. 4
    Any of several species of terrestrial bird in the genera Cursorius and Rhinoptilus.
  5. 5
    A stone used in building a course.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Sir Launfal is instantly set at liberty, and vaulting on the courser his mistress had bestowed on him, and which was held at hand by his squire, he follows her out of the town.

Etymology

From Middle English courser, Anglo-Norman cursier, corser, from Medieval Latin cursārius. By surface analysis, course + -er. Doublet of corsair and hussar.

This word in other languages

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 "courser"?
"courser" is spelled C-O-U-R-S-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɜːsə/.
What does "courser" mean?
As a noun, "courser" means: A dog used for coursing.
How do you pronounce "courser"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "courser" is /ˈkɜːsə/. 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 "courser"?
From Middle English courser, Anglo-Norman cursier, corser, from Medieval Latin cursārius. By surface analysis, course + -er. Doublet of corsair and hussar. 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 "courser", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list