courtyard

/ˈkɔɹt.jɑɹd/

//ˈkɔɹt.jɑɹd// noun

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

"courtyard" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“courtyard” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,025. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,025
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An area, open to the sky, partially or wholly surrounded by walls or buildings.

Corpus desk

Index EN-courtyard · courtyard · English

courtyard · rank #12,025 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,025
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH corporal

Nearest frequency peer: corporal (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “courtyard”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “courtyard” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for courtyard
PropertyValue
Headwordcourtyard
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɔɹt.jɑɹd/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,025
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “courtyard” 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). courtyard lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around courtyard (IPA /ˈkɔɹt.jɑɹd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #12,025 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "An area, open to the sky, partially or wholly surrounded by walls or buildings.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for courtyard, with forms such as "ccourtyard", "corutyard", and "courrtyard". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. 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 court + yard. The correct English form is courtyard, spelled C-O-U-R-T-Y-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    An area, open to the sky, partially or wholly surrounded by walls or buildings.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She sat in the courtyard, enjoying the garden.
  2. There comes a fairy in the courtyard, bearing a handful of gifts.

Etymology

From court + yard.

This word in other languages

patio(Español)cour(Français)Hof(Deutsch)pátio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccourtyard
  • corutyard
  • courrtyard
  • courtayrd
  • courttyard
  • courtyadr
  • courtyardd
  • courtyarrd
  • courtyrad
  • courtyyard
  • courytard
  • coutryard
  • cuortyard
  • ocurtyard

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of courtyard - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccourtyard1corutyard2courrtyard1courtayrd2courttyard1courtyadr2courtyardd1courtyarrd1
Edit distance from "courtyard"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "courtyard"?
"courtyard" is spelled C-O-U-R-T-Y-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɔɹt.jɑɹd/.
What does "courtyard" mean?
As a noun, "courtyard" means: An area, open to the sky, partially or wholly surrounded by walls or buildings.
What are common misspellings of "courtyard"?
Common misspellings include "ccourtyard", "corutyard", "courrtyard", "courtayrd", "courttyard". The correct spelling is "courtyard".
How do you pronounce "courtyard"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "courtyard" is /ˈkɔɹt.jɑɹd/. 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 "courtyard"?
From court + yard. 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 "courtyard", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deception#12,031cellphone#12,018Dominican#12,036exemption#12,044

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

derivative14 variantsfishermen14 variantsfurnished14 variantsstupidity14 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "courtyard". Here's where to go from here.

  • 14 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #12,025 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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