coward

/ˈkaʊəd/

//ˈkaʊəd// noun

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

"coward" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coward” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,675. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,675
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who lacks courage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-coward · coward · English

coward · rank #11,675 · 9 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,675
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cosmetics

Nearest frequency peer: cosmetics (-1 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 “coward”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “coward” 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).

coward vs cower
67% similar
coward vs cowardly
75% similar
coward vs card
67% similar

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

Key facts for coward
PropertyValue
Headwordcoward
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkaʊəd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,675
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “coward”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cowardlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “cosmetics” (#11,674), “dammit” (#11,676), “Copenhagen” (#11,673). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “coward” is #11,675. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around coward (IPA /ˈkaʊəd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,675 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A person who lacks courage.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for coward, with forms such as "ccoward", "coawrd", and "cowadr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 7 confusable-pair relationships, "cower", "cowardly", "card", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: 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 betw… The correct English form is coward, spelled C-O-W-A-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who lacks courage.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonyms: big baby, baby
  2. Cowards dye many times before their deaths, / The valiant neuer taſte of death but once: […]

Etymology

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.

Synonyms

bottlercaitiffcandy-asscandy-arsecoistrilcowardchickenchicken liverchickenshitcocktailcowardy custardcravendogfraidy catfunkergutless wonderinvertebratejessielizardmilquetoastnancynidderingnideringnidgetnidingnithingpiece of crappiece of shitpisspantspoltroonpulletpunkpussypussyholequiche-eaterquakebreechquakebuttockrecreantscaredy catscaredy pantsshithousesissyslagsluggardsnoolsookweak sisterwheyfaceyellow bellyyellow back

Antonyms

hero

This word in other languages

cobarde(Español)couard(Français)Feigling(Deutsch)covarde(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccoward
  • coawrd
  • cowadr
  • cowardd
  • cowarrd
  • cowrad
  • cowward
  • cwoard
  • ocward

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of coward - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ccoward1coawrd2cowadr2cowardd1cowarrd1cowrad2cowward1cwoard2
Edit distance from "coward"

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 "coward"?
"coward" is spelled C-O-W-A-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkaʊəd/.
What does "coward" mean?
As a noun, "coward" means: A person who lacks courage.
What words are commonly confused with "coward"?
"coward" is commonly confused with "cower", "cowardly", "card". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coward"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coward" is /ˈkaʊəd/. 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 "coward"?
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... 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 "coward", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

dammit#11,676depart#11,679capped#11,662bunker#11,660

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

caffeine9 variantsfucker9 variantsbakery9 variantsadvent9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list