cover

/ˈkʌvɚ/

//ˈkʌvɚ// noun

"cover" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cover” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #867 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#867
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A lid.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cover vs COVID
0% similar
cover vs covet
80% similar
cover vs covey
80% similar

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

Key facts for cover
PropertyValue
Headwordcover
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʌvɚ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#867
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cover” 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). cover lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cover is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkʌvɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #867 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 23 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for cover, with forms such as "ccover", "coevr", and "coverr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "COVID", "covet", "covey", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti L… The correct English form is cover, spelled C-O-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lid.
  2. 2
    Area or situation which screens a person or thing from view.
  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
    A bag or packet.
  7. 7
    A cover charge.
  8. 8
    A setting at a restaurant table or formal dinner.
  9. 9
    A new performance or rerecording of a previously recorded song; a cover version; a cover song.
  10. 10
    A fielding position on the off side, between point and mid off, about 30° forward of square; a fielder in this position.
  11. 11
    A tarpaulin or other device used to cover the wicket during rain, to prevent it getting wet.
  12. 12
    The area of the stumps that is blocked by the batsman so as to defend the wicket.
  13. 13
    A backup incase any player sustains injury during nets or midseries. Originally have to be declared part of squad before match.
  14. 14
    A collection (or family) of subsets of a given set, whose union contains every element of said original set.
  15. 15
    An envelope complete with stamps and postmarks etc.
  16. 16
    A solid object, including terrain, that provides protection from enemy fire.
  17. 17
    In commercial law, a buyer’s purchase on the open market of goods similar or identical to the goods contracted for after a seller has breached a contract of sale by failure to deliver the goods contracted for.
  18. 18
    An insurance contract; coverage by an insurance contract.
  19. 19
    A persona maintained by a spy or undercover operative; cover story.
  20. 20
    A swindler's confederate.
  21. 21
    The portion of a slate, tile, or shingle that is hidden by the overlap of the course above.
  22. 22
    In a steam engine, the lap of a slide valve.
  23. 23
    The distance between reinforcing steel and the exterior of concrete.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Latin operiō Latin cooperiō Old French covrirbor. Middle English coveren English cover From Middle English coveren, borrowed from Old French covrir, cueuvrir (modern French couvrir), from Late Latin coperire, from Latin cooperiō (“I cover completely”), from co- (intensive prefix) + operiō (“I close, cover”). Displaced native Middle English thecchen and bethecchen (“to cover”) (from Old English þeccan, beþeccan (“to cover”)), Middle English helen, (over)helen, (for)helen (“to cover, conceal”) (from Old English helan (“to conceal, cover, hide”)), Middle English wrien, (be)wreon (“to cover”) (from Old English (be)wrēon (“to cover”)), Middle English hodren, hothren (“to cover up”) (from Low German hudren (“to cover up”)). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the original sense of the verb and noun cover was “hide from view” as in its cognate covert. Except in the limited sense of “cover again”, the word recover is unrelated and is cognate with recuperate. Cognate with Spanish cubrir (“to cover”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccover,coevr,coverr,covre,covver,cvoer,ocver

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cover - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccover1coevr2coverr1covre2covver1cvoer2ocver2
Edit distance from "cover"

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 "cover"?
"cover" is spelled C-O-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʌvɚ/.
What does "cover" mean?
As a noun, "cover" means: A lid.
What words are commonly confused with "cover"?
"cover" is commonly confused with "COVID", "covet", "covey". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cover"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cover" is /ˈkʌvɚ/. 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 "cover"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *h₁ep-der. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epsder. Proto-Indo-European *h₁epi Proto-Indo-European *h₂wer- Proto-Indo-Europea... 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.

Using “cover”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-V-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkʌvɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “COVID” - see the side-by-side comparison. cover vs COVID
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list