cower

Name: cower, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkaʊɚ/

//ˈkaʊɚ// verb

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“cower” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #49,846 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#49,846
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 7
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cower vs cows

60% similar

cower vs cowl

60% similar

cower vs Cowley

50% similar

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

Key facts for cower
Property	Value
Headword	cower
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/ˈkaʊɚ/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#49,846
Misspellings tracked	7
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cower” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). cower lands here:

#49,846

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cower is 5 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkaʊɚ/. Corpus data places it at rank #49,846 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for cower, with forms such as "ccower", "coewr", and "cowerr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cows", "cowl", "Cowley", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English couren, cowre, from Middle Low German kûren (“to lie in wait; linger”) or from North Germanic (Icelandic kúra (“to doze”)); according to Pokorny, all are ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to curve, bend”), see also Proto-German… The correct English form is cower, spelled C-O-W-E-R.

Definition

1
To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.
2
To crouch in general.
3
To cause to cower; to frighten into submission.
4
To be a coward; to hide away or refuse to face opposition due to fear.

Etymology

From Middle English couren, cowre, from Middle Low German kûren (“to lie in wait; linger”) or from North Germanic (Icelandic kúra (“to doze”)); according to Pokorny, all are ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to curve, bend”), see also Proto-Germanic *kuddô (“shell, pod”). Cognate with German kauern (“to squat”), Dutch koeren (“to keep watch (in a cowered position)”), Serbo-Croatian kutriti (“to lie in a bent position”), Swedish kura (“huddle, cower”). Unrelated to coward, which is of Latin origin.

This word in other languages

encogerse(Español)se recroqueviller(Français)kauern(Deutsch)encolher(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccower,coewr,cowerr,cowre,cowwer,cwoer,ocwer

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "cower"

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 "cower"?

"cower" is spelled C-O-W-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkaʊɚ/.

What does "cower" mean?

As a verb, "cower" means: To crouch or cringe, or to avoid or shy away from something, in fear.

What words are commonly confused with "cower"?

"cower" is commonly confused with "cows", "cowl", "Cowley". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "cower"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cower" is /ˈkaʊɚ/. 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 "cower"?

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 “cower”

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

The one correct English spelling is C-O-W-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈkaʊɚ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “cows” - see the side-by-side comparison. cower vs cows
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.