cousin

/ˈkʌzn̩/

//ˈkʌzn̩// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cousin” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,550. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,550
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a kinsman or kinswoman.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cousin · cousin · English

cousin · rank #3,550 · 8 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,550
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH controls

Nearest frequency peer: controls (-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 “cousin”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cousin” 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).

cousin vs cumin
67% similar
cousin vs cousins
86% similar
cousin vs coin
67% similar

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

Key facts for cousin
PropertyValue
Headwordcousin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʌzn̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,550
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cousin”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “controls” (#3,549), “crack” (#3,551), “comfort” (#3,548). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cousin” is #3,550. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around cousin (IPA /ˈkʌzn̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,550 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for cousin, with forms such as "ccousin", "cosuin", and "couisn". 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, "cumin", "cousins", "coin", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Middle English cosin, cosine, cosyn (“blood relative, kinsman or kinswoman; any relative; nephew or niece; first cousin; grandson or granddaughter; descendant; godchild or godparent, or a relative of a godchild or godparent; (figura… The correct English form is cousin, spelled C-O-U-S-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a kinsman or kinswoman.
  2. 2
    Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a kinsman or kinswoman.
  3. 3
    Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a kinsman or kinswoman.
  4. 4
    A person of an ethnicity or nationality regarded as closely related to someone of another ethnicity or nationality.
  5. 5
    Used as a term of address for someone whom one is close to; also, (preceding a first name, sometimes capitalized as Cousin) a title for such a person.
  6. 6
    Used by a monarch to address another monarch, or a noble; specifically (British) in commissions and writs by the Crown: used in this way to address a viscount or another peer of higher rank.
  7. 7
    Something kindred or related to something else; a relative.
  8. 8
    A female sexual partner who is not a person's wife; specifically, a prostitute.
  9. 9
    A person who is swindled; a dupe.
  10. 10
    A person who womanizes; a seducer, a womanizer.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Salute Andronicus⸝ and Junia my coſyns⸝ which were preſoners with me alſo⸝ which are wele taken amonge the apoſtles⸝ and were in Chriſt before me.
  2. Hovv novv brother, vvhere is my coſen your ſonne, hath he prouided this muſique?

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English cosin, cosine, cosyn (“blood relative, kinsman or kinswoman; any relative; nephew or niece; first cousin; grandson or granddaughter; descendant; godchild or godparent, or a relative of a godchild or godparent; (figurative) closely related or similar thing”) [and other forms], and then: * from Anglo-Norman cosen, cosin [and other forms], Middle French cosin, and Old French cosin (“collateral male relative more distant than one’s brother; form of address used by a monarch to male monarchs or nobles”) [and other forms] (modern French cousin); and * from Anglo-Norman cosine, Middle French cosine, and Old French cosine (“collateral female relative more distant than one’s sister; form of address used by a monarch to female monarchs or nobles”) [and other forms] (modern French cousine), from Latin cōnsobrīnus (“maternal cousin; first cousin; relation”) (possibly through Vulgar Latin *cōsuīnus, from *cōsobīnus), from con- (prefix denoting a bringing together of several objects) + sobrīnus (“maternal cousin; sister’s son; any nephew”) (from a noun use of Proto-Italic *swezrīnos (“of or belonging to a sister”, adjective) (with the first syllable influenced by Latin soror (“sister”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *swésōr (“sister”), possibly from *swé (“self”) + *h₁ésh₂r̥ (“blood”) (that is, a woman of one’s own blood) or *-sōr (feminine suffix)). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

primo(Español)cousin(Français)Cousin(Deutsch)primo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccousin
  • cosuin
  • couisn
  • cousinn
  • cousni
  • coussin
  • cuosin
  • ocusin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccousin1cosuin2couisn2cousinn1cousni2coussin1cuosin2ocusin2
Edit distance from "cousin"

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 "cousin"?
"cousin" is spelled C-O-U-S-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʌzn̩/.
What does "cousin" mean?
As a noun, "cousin" means: Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a kinsman or kinswoman.
What words are commonly confused with "cousin"?
"cousin" is commonly confused with "cumin", "cousins", "coin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cousin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cousin" is /ˈkʌzn̩/. 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 "cousin"?
The noun is derived from Middle English cosin, cosine, cosyn (“blood relative, kinsman or kinswoman; any relative; nephew or niece; first cousin; grandson or granddaughter; descendant; godchild or godparent, or a relative of a godchild or godparen... 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 "cousin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

bureau#3,546dragon#3,555banned#3,544aspect#3,543

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

crack8 variantsDutch8 variantstrash8 variantskings8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list