court
/ˈkɔɹt/noun, verb
court is spelled C-O-U-R-T: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 257 times per million words in written English, the 373rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, court means “An enclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different buildings; also, a space opening from a street…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of court is courts.
How many letters and syllables are in court?
| Letters | 5: C-O-U-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 |
| In writing | 257 times per million words; the 373rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Sounds like | |
| 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 court?
Court appears 257 times per million words in written English, the 373rd 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 court?
- UK /ˈkɔːt/
- UK [ˈkʰɔːt]
- US /ˈkɔɹt/
Court has one syllable.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-caught.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-Court.wav, En-us-court.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with court
Sounds like: caught (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with court?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as court from its last stressed vowel (/ɔɹt/):
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 court
- courts plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- courting participle, present
- courted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does court mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An enclosed space; a courtyard; an uncovered area shut in by the walls of a building, or by different buildings; also, a space opening from a street and nearly surrounded by houses; a blind alley.
The girls were playing in the court.
- 2
AustraliaUSA street with no outlet, a cul-de-sac.
- 3
A housing estate under the Home Ownership Scheme.
- 4
An apartment building, or a small development of several apartment buildings.
- 5
The residence of a sovereign, prince, nobleman, or other dignitary; a palace.
The noblemen visited the queen in her court.
- 6
The collective body of persons composing the retinue of a sovereign or person high in authority; all the surroundings of a sovereign in his regal state.
Meronym: royal household
- 7
Any formal assembling of the retinue of a sovereign.
- 8
Attention directed to a person in power; behaviour designed to gain favor; politeness of manner; civility towards someone.
verb
- 1
To seek to achieve or win (a prize).
He was courting big new accounts that previous salesmen had not attempted.
- 2
To risk (a consequence, usually negative).
She courted controversy with her frank speeches.
- 3
To attempt to attract, in any way; to invite by attractions.
Near-synonyms: entice, allure; see also Thesaurus:allure
- 4
To try to win a commitment to marry from.
- 5
To engage in behavior conducive to mating with.
The bird was courting a potential mate by performing an elaborate dance.
- 6
To attempt to gain alliance with.
- 7
To engage in activities intended to win affections.
She's had a few beaus come courting.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate court?
Wiktionary records 2 abbreviations of court: ct, ct..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Court in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cour , courtiser, faire la cour (à) |
| German | Hof , werben, den Hof machen , Hofstaat , Gericht |
| Portuguese | pátio , cortejar , tribunal , palácio, corte |
| Spanish | patio, callejón, plazoleta , cortejar, pololear , corte |
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 court come from?
From Middle English court, from Old French cort, curt, from Late Latin cōrs, contracted from Latin cohors. Doublet of cohort.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).