covey

/ˈkʌvi/

//ˈkʌvi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“covey” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,402. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,402
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A brood or family of partridges (family Phasianidae), which includes game birds such as grouse (tribe Tetraonini) and ptarmigans (tribe Tetraonini, genus Lagopus).

Corpus desk

Index EN-covey · covey · English

covey · rank #46,402 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,402
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crimp

Nearest frequency peer: crimp (+2 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 “covey”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “covey” 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).

covey vs coy
60% similar
covey vs cozy
60% similar
covey vs COVID
0% similar

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

Key facts for covey
PropertyValue
Headwordcovey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʌvi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#46,402
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “covey”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).coveylands 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 “crimp” (#46,404), “Copperfield” (#46,399), “cruces” (#46,405). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “covey” is #46,402. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around covey (IPA /ˈkʌvi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,402 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for covey, with forms such as "ccovey", "coevy", and "coveyy". 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, "coy", "cozy", "COVID", 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 covei, covey (“brood of partridges, covey; volley of shot; kind of gun”) [and other forms], from Old French covée (“brood (of chickens), clutch”) (modern French couvée), a noun use of the feminine past participle of c… The correct English form is covey, spelled C-O-V-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A brood or family of partridges (family Phasianidae), which includes game birds such as grouse (tribe Tetraonini) and ptarmigans (tribe Tetraonini, genus Lagopus).
  2. 2
    A group of other birds, such as quail (superfamily Phasianoidea).
  3. 3
    A group or party of people; also, a group or set of things.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But, loa, with a ſuddeyn fluſhing thee galligut Harpeys / From mountayns flitter, with gaggling whirlerye flapping / Their wings: […] This coouie rauenouſe, and ſwift with a deſperat onſet, / They gripte in tallants the meat, and foorth ſpourged a ſtincking / Foule carrayne fauoure: […]
  2. [S]o leacherous they [female partridges] are, that ſetting aſide the naturall affection and love to their young covie, vvhen they are broodie, […] yet if they hear once the Foulers chanterell comming tovvard the male, and that he doth call, preſently they vvill leave the neſt and ſuffer the egs to chill, and for very jealouſie crie again and call back the…

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English covei, covey (“brood of partridges, covey; volley of shot; kind of gun”) [and other forms], from Old French covée (“brood (of chickens), clutch”) (modern French couvée), a noun use of the feminine past participle of cover (“to brood (an egg)”) (modern French couver), from Latin cubāre, the present active infinitive of cubō (“to lie down, recline; to incubate; to be broody”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- (“to lie down”). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates French couvée (“brood (of chickens), clutch”), couver (“to brood (an egg)”) Italian covata (“brood, clutch, covey, hatch”), covare (“to brood or incubate (an egg)”)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccovey
  • coevy
  • coveyy
  • covvey
  • covye
  • cvoey
  • ocvey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccovey1coevy2coveyy1covvey1covye2cvoey2ocvey2
Edit distance from "covey"

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 "covey"?
"covey" is spelled C-O-V-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʌvi/.
What does "covey" mean?
As a noun, "covey" means: A brood or family of partridges (family Phasianidae), which includes game birds such as grouse (tribe Tetraonini) and ptarmigans (tribe Tetraonini, genus Lagopus).
What words are commonly confused with "covey"?
"covey" is commonly confused with "coy", "cozy", "COVID". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "covey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "covey" is /ˈkʌvi/. 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 "covey"?
The noun is derived from Middle English covei, covey (“brood of partridges, covey; volley of shot; kind of gun”) [and other forms], from Old French covée (“brood (of chickens), clutch”) (modern French couvée), a noun use of the feminine past parti... 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 "covey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

crimp#46,404Debby#46,413clack#46,381chink#46,376

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

chibi7 variantsbrava7 variantsbodhi7 variantsfeely7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list