cynosure
/ˈsɪnəzjʊə/
"cynosure" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cynosure” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Alternative letter-case form of Cynosure: Ursa Minor or Polaris, the North Star, used as a guide by navigators.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cynosure |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈsɪnəzjʊə/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cynosure” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
cynosure is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈsɪnəzjʊə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for cynosure, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French Cynosure (“Ursa Minor; Polaris”), from Latin Cynosūra (“Ursa Minor”), from Ancient Greek Κυνόσουρα (Kunósoura, “Ursa Minor”, literally “dog’s tail”), from κυνός (kunós, “dog's”) + οὐρά (ourá, “tail”). The correct English form is cynosure, spelled C-Y-N-O-S-U-R-E.
Definition
- 1Alternative letter-case form of Cynosure: Ursa Minor or Polaris, the North Star, used as a guide by navigators.
- 2That which serves to guide or direct; a guiding star.
- 3Something that is the center of attention; an object that serves as a focal point of attraction and admiration.
Etymology
From Middle French Cynosure (“Ursa Minor; Polaris”), from Latin Cynosūra (“Ursa Minor”), from Ancient Greek Κυνόσουρα (Kunósoura, “Ursa Minor”, literally “dog’s tail”), from κυνός (kunós, “dog's”) + οὐρά (ourá, “tail”).
This word in other languages
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
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Using “cynosure”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-Y-N-O-S-U-R-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈsɪnəzjʊə/ (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.