escutcheon

/ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən/

//ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən// noun

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

"escutcheon" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“escutcheon” is uncommon English (frequency #85,230 among 18,836 “E” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,230
frequency rank, English
18,836
“E” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The shield on which a coat of arms is displayed, or, by extension, the coat of arms itself.

Corpus desk

Index EN-escutcheon · escutcheon · English

escutcheon · rank #85,230 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,230
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 18,836
  • PHOTO-FINISH ergot

Nearest frequency peer: ergot (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “escutcheon”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “escutcheon” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for escutcheon
PropertyValue
Headwordescutcheon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#85,230
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “escutcheon” 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). escutcheon lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

escutcheon is uncommon English at frequency #85,230 among 18,836 “E” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

escutcheon doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English scochon, from Anglo-Norman escuchon, Old French escusson (French écusson), ultimately from Latin scutum (“shield”). Related to scutum, scute, scudo, escudo, and écu. The correct English form is escutcheon, spelled E-S-C-U-T-C-H-E-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The shield on which a coat of arms is displayed, or, by extension, the coat of arms itself.
  2. 2
    A small shield used to charge a larger one.
  3. 3
    The pattern of distribution of hair upon the pubic mound.
  4. 4
    A marking upon the back of a cow's udder and the space above it (the perineum), formed by the hair growing upward or outward instead of downward. It was once taken as an index of milking qualities.
  5. 5
    The part of a ship's stern where its name is displayed.
  6. 6
    A [[decorative] or protective plate or bezel designed to fill the gap between a switch, pipe, valve, control knob, etc., and the surface from which it protrudes.
  7. 7
    The insignia around a doorknob's exterior hardware or a door lock's cosmetic plate.
  8. 8
    The depression behind the beak of certain bivalves; the ligamental area.

Etymology

From Middle English scochon, from Anglo-Norman escuchon, Old French escusson (French écusson), ultimately from Latin scutum (“shield”). Related to scutum, scute, scudo, escudo, and écu.

This word in other languages

blasón(Español)écusson(Français)Wappenschild(Deutsch)escudo(Português)

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "escutcheon"?
"escutcheon" is spelled E-S-C-U-T-C-H-E-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən/.
What does "escutcheon" mean?
As a noun, "escutcheon" means: The shield on which a coat of arms is displayed, or, by extension, the coat of arms itself.
How do you pronounce "escutcheon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "escutcheon" is /ɪˈskʌt͡ʃən/. 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 "escutcheon"?
From Middle English scochon, from Anglo-Norman escuchon, Old French escusson (French écusson), ultimately from Latin scutum (“shield”). Related to scutum, scute, scudo, escudo, and écu. 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 "escutcheon", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Dombrowski#85,187deportment#85,166Greenhalgh#85,304harborough#85,326
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