turncoat

/ˈtəːn.kəʊt/

//ˈtəːn.kəʊt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“turncoat” is uncommon English (frequency #71,186 among 3,151 “T” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,186
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-turncoat · turncoat · English

turncoat · rank #71,186 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,186
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH turney

Nearest frequency peer: turney (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “turncoat”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for turncoat
PropertyValue
Headwordturncoat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtəːn.kəʊt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#71,186
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “turncoat” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).turncoatfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “turney” (#71,187), “tush” (#71,188), “TSG” (#71,182). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “turncoat” is #71,186. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

turncoat is uncommon English at frequency #71,186 among 3,151 “T” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈtəːn.kəʊt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for turncoat, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: A compound of turn + coat, reportedly derived from the sometime military practice of wearing uniform coats that were lined in material of a contrasting color, and which could be worn inside out to present a different appearance. The correct English form is turncoat, spelled T-U-R-N-C-O-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But some will cry Turncoat, and rip up old stories, / How I always pretended to be for the tories: […]
  2. Federal prosecutors say that in addition to turncoat witnesses, they are armed with secretly recorded conversations made in the Camden, N.J., office of Mr. Stanfa's lawyer, Salvatore Avena, who has also been indicted on racketeering charges.

Etymology

A compound of turn + coat, reportedly derived from the sometime military practice of wearing uniform coats that were lined in material of a contrasting color, and which could be worn inside out to present a different appearance.

This word in other languages

tránsfuga(Español)renégat(Français)Überläufer(Deutsch)

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 "turncoat"?
"turncoat" is spelled T-U-R-N-C-O-A-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtəːn.kəʊt/.
What does "turncoat" mean?
As a noun, "turncoat" means: A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.
How do you pronounce "turncoat"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "turncoat" is /ˈtəːn.kəʊt/. 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 "turncoat"?
A compound of turn + coat, reportedly derived from the sometime military practice of wearing uniform coats that were lined in material of a contrasting color, and which could be worn inside out to present a different appearance. 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 "turncoat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

toroidal#71,174thermite#71,163Wilmslow#71,224squeaker#71,127

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list