of course

/əv ˈkɔːs/

//əv ˈkɔːs// adj

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

The verdict

“of course” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - That is part of ordinary behaviour or custom; customary, natural.

Corpus desk

Index EN-of-course · of course · English

of course · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for of course
PropertyValue
Headwordof course
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əv ˈkɔːs/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “of course” in English

of courseranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

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

Rare enough to double-check

of course is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /əv ˈkɔːs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "That is part of ordinary behaviour or custom; customary, natural.".

of course 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, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is of course, spelled O-F- -C-O-U-R-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    That is part of ordinary behaviour or custom; customary, natural.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Had Francesca grown up by his side, she would have loved him; and a thousand indulgences, the result of careless good-nature, would have linked the child to the parent, till the mutual affection would have become a thing of course.
  2. I am not using a mere phrase of course, when I say that the feelings with which I bear a part in the ceremony of this day, are such as I find it difficult to utter in words.

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 "of course"?
"of course" is spelled O-F- -C-O-U-R-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əv ˈkɔːs/.
What does "of course" mean?
As an adjective, "of course" means: That is part of ordinary behaviour or custom; customary, natural.
How do you pronounce "of course"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "of course" is /əv ˈkɔːs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "of course" come from?
"of course" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list