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PlainSpell

cover

/ˈkʌvɚ/noun, adjective, verb

cover is spelled C-O-V-E-R: 5 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 120 times per million words in written English, the 873rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cover means “A lid” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cover is covers.

How many letters and syllables are in cover?

Letters5: C-O-V-E-R
Syllables2 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing120 times per million words; the 873rd most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search
Rhymes with

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 cover?

Cover appears 120 times per million words in written English, the 873rd 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 cover?

  • US /ˈkʌvɚ/
  • UK /ˈkʌvə/
  • /ˈkʊvə/

Cover has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cover.ogg, En-au-cover.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

What rhymes with cover?

6 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as cover from its last stressed vowel (/ʌvəɹ/):

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 cover

  • covers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • covering participle, present
  • covered participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does cover mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A lid.

  2. 2

    Area or situation which screens a person or thing from view.

    The soldiers took cover behind a ruined building.

  3. 3

    The front and back of a book, magazine, CD package, etc.

  4. 4

    The top sheet of a bed.

  5. 5

    A cloth or similar material, often fitted, placed over an item such as a car or sofa or food to protect it from dust, rain, insects, etc. when not being used.

  6. 6

    IndiaA bag or packet.

  7. 7

    A cover charge.

    There's a $15 cover tonight.

  8. 8

    A setting at a restaurant table or formal dinner.

    We need to set another cover for the Smith party.

adjective

  1. 1

    Of or pertaining to the front cover of a book or magazine.

  2. 2

    Of, pertaining to, or consisting of cover versions.

verb

  1. 1

    To place something over or upon, as to conceal or protect.

    He covered the baby with a blanket.

  2. 2

    To be over or upon, as to conceal or protect.

    The blanket covered the baby.

  3. 3

    To be upon all of, so as to completely conceal.

    Regular hexagons can cover the plane.

  4. 4

    To set upon all of, so as to completely conceal.

    You can cover the plane with regular hexagons.

  5. 5

    datedTo put on one's hat.

  6. 6

    To invest (oneself with something); to bring upon (oneself).

    The heroic soldier covered himself with glory.

  7. 7

    To discuss thoroughly; to provide coverage of.

    The magazine covers such diverse topics as politics, news from the world of science, and the economy.

  8. 8

    To deal with or include someone or something.

    Richard Morgan covers science for The Economist, The New York Times, Scientific American, and Wired.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Cover in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchcouvercle (lid), couverture (front and back of a book or a magazine), couvert (setting at a restaurant table), couvrir (to conceal or protect), reprendre ((music) make a cover version)
GermanDeckel, Abdeckung (lid), Einband, Umschlag (front and back of a book or a magazine), Deckung, Versteck (hiding)
Portuguesetampa (lid), capa (front and back of a book or a magazine), esconderijo (hiding), cobertor, coberta (top sheet), taxa inclusa (cover charge)
Spanishcubierta, tapador, cubertura, tapadera, cobertor, cobertero (lid)

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 cover come from?

From Middle English coveren, borrowed from Old French covrir, cueuvrir (modern French couvrir), from Late Latin coperire, from Latin cooperiō (“to cover completely”), from co- (intensive prefix) + operiō (“to close, cover”).

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after cover