turncoat
/ˈtəːn.kəʊt/
"turncoat" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“turncoat” is an uncommon English word, ranked #71,186 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #71,186
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | turncoat |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈtəːn.kəʊt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #71,186 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “turncoat” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for turncoat is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈtəːn.kəʊt/. Corpus data places it at rank #71,186 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "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
- 1A traitor; one who turns against a previous affiliation or allegiance.
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
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"?
What does "turncoat" mean?
How do you pronounce "turncoat"?
What is the origin of the word "turncoat"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “turncoat”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is T-U-R-N-C-O-A-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈtəːn.kəʊt/ (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.