kersey

/ˈkɜːzi/

//ˈkɜːzi// noun

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

The verdict

“kersey” is uncommon English (frequency #70,805 among 1,236 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,805
frequency rank, English
1,236
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of rough woollen cloth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-kersey · kersey · English

kersey · rank #70,805 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,805
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,236
  • PHOTO-FINISH Khoury

Nearest frequency peer: Khoury (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “kersey”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “kersey” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for kersey
PropertyValue
Headwordkersey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɜːzi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#70,805
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “kersey” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Khoury” (#70,807), “keirin” (#70,802), “kickstand” (#70,808). Among 1,236 “K” headwords, “kersey” is #70,805. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

kersey is uncommon English at frequency #70,805 among 1,236 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɜːzi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A type of rough woollen cloth.".

kersey doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English kersey, perhaps from the village of Kersey in Suffolk, England, UK, in the region where the cloth was made. The correct English form is kersey, spelled K-E-R-S-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of rough woollen cloth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Hencefoorth my wooing minde ſhalbe expreſt / In ruſſet yeas, and honeſt kerſie noes.
  2. [T]here was a Report, that one of our Ships having by Stealth delivered her Cargo, among which was ſome Bales of Engliſh Cloth, Cotton, Kerſyes, and ſuch like Goods, the Spaniards cauſed all the Goods to be burnt, and puniſhed the Men with Death who were concern'd in carrying them on Shore.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English kersey, perhaps from the village of Kersey in Suffolk, England, UK, in the region where the cloth was made.

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 "kersey"?
"kersey" is spelled K-E-R-S-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɜːzi/.
What does "kersey" mean?
As a noun, "kersey" means: A type of rough woollen cloth.
How do you pronounce "kersey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kersey" is /ˈkɜːzi/. 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 "kersey"?
Inherited from Middle English kersey, perhaps from the village of Kersey in Suffolk, England, UK, in the region where the cloth was made. 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 "kersey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list