cowberry

/ˈkaubəɹɪ/

//ˈkaubəɹɪ// noun

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

"cowberry" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cowberry” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A shrub native to the cool temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere (Vaccinium vitis-idaea).

Key facts for cowberry
PropertyValue
Headwordcowberry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkaubəɹɪ/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cowberry” sits in English frequency

cowberry falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cowberry is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkaubəɹɪ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for cowberry, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From cow + berry. Compare bilberry. The correct English form is cowberry, spelled C-O-W-B-E-R-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A shrub native to the cool temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere (Vaccinium vitis-idaea).
  2. 2
    A berry of this shrub.

Etymology

From cow + berry. Compare bilberry.

Synonyms

foxberrylingonberrylowbush cranberrymountain cranberrypartridgeberryred whortleberry

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cowberry"?
"cowberry" is spelled C-O-W-B-E-R-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkaubəɹɪ/.
What does "cowberry" mean?
As a noun, "cowberry" means: A shrub native to the cool temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere (Vaccinium vitis-idaea).
How do you pronounce "cowberry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cowberry" is /ˈkaubəɹɪ/. 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 "cowberry"?
From cow + berry. Compare bilberry. 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 “cowberry”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-W-B-E-R-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈkaubəɹɪ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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