coward
co·ward/ˈkaʊɚd/noun, adjective
coward is spelled C-O-W-A-R-D: 6 letters and 2 syllables (co·ward). It appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, coward means “A person who lacks courage” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of coward is cowards.
How many letters and syllables are in coward?
| Letters | 6: C-O-W-A-R-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: co·ward |
| In writing | 4.7 times per million words; the 11,685th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 coward?
Coward appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th 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 coward?
- UK /ˈkaʊəd/
- US /ˈkaʊɚd/
- /ˈkawə(ɾ)d/
Coward has 2 syllables, split co·ward in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-coward.wav, En-US-coward.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with coward?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as coward from its last stressed vowel (/aʊəɹd/):
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 coward
- cowards plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more coward comparative
- most coward superlative
- cowarding participle, present
- cowarded participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does coward mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A person who lacks courage.
Near-synonyms: big baby, baby
adjective
- 1
Cowardly.
- 2
Borne in the escutcheon with his tail doubled between his legs.
verb
- 1
obsoleteTo intimidate.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Coward in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a person who lacks courage:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | couard, couarde, poltron, poltronne, froussard, froussarde |
| German | Feigling, Angsthase, Schisser, Schisserin, Hosenscheißer, Warmduscher |
| Portuguese | covarde |
| Spanish | cobarde, gallina |
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 coward come from?
From Middle English coward, from Old French coart, cuard ( > French couard), from coue (“tail”), coe + -ard (pejorative agent noun suffix); coue, coe is in turn from Latin cauda. The reference seems to be to an animal "turning tail", or having its tail between its legs, especially a dog. Compare the expression tail between one's legs. Displaced native Old English earg (surviving in northern dialect English argh). Unrelated to cower, which is of Germanic origin.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).