covert
/ˈkəʊvɜːt/adjective, noun
covert is spelled C-O-V-E-R-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, covert means “Secret, surreptitious, concealed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in covert?
| Letters | 6: C-O-V-E-R-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 14,106th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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 covert?
Covert appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th 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 covert?
- UK /ˈkəʊvɜːt/
- UK /kəʊˈvɜːt/
- UK /ˈkʌvət/
As a noun (“A covering”): /ˈkʌvət/, /ˈkəʊvɜːt/, /ˈkoʊvɚt/.
Covert 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-uk-covert-1.ogg, En-uk-covert-2.ogg, En-uk-covert-3.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with covert?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as covert (/əʊvɜt/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: vector.
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 covert
- more covert comparative
- most covert superlative
- coverts plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does covert mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Secret, surreptitious, concealed.
covert operations
- 2
archaicHidden, covered over; overgrown, sheltered.
- 3
Under coverture.
feme covert
noun
- 1
A covering.
- 2
A disguise.
- 3
A hiding place.
- 4
Area of thick undergrowth where animals hide.
- 5
A feather that covers the bases of flight feathers.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Covert in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | secret, clandestin |
| German | verdeckt , Versteck , Unterholz , Deckfeder |
| Spanish | encubierto |
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 covert come from?
From Middle English covert, from Old French covert, past participle of covrir (“to cover”) (corresponding to Latin coopertus); cognate to cover. Not closely related to overt, despite what the most common pronunciation would suggest.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).