coin

\kwɛ̃\

/\kwɛ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“coin” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #1,435 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,435
frequency rank, French
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Pièce de fer ou de bois ou de toute autre matière dure, de forme prismatique, dont on se sert principalement pour fendre du bois, des pierres, en la faisant entrer de force avec un maillet ou un ma...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

coin vs con
75% similar
coin vs cou
50% similar
coin vs col
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for coin
PropertyValue
Headwordcoin
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kwɛ̃\
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,435
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coin” sits in French 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). coin lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for coin is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kwɛ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #1,435 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 21 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for coin, with forms such as "ccoin", "cion", and "coinn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "con", "cou", "col", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct French form is coin, spelled C-O-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Pièce de fer ou de bois ou de toute autre matière dure, de forme prismatique, dont on se sert principalement pour fendre du bois, des pierres, en la faisant entrer de force avec un maillet ou un marteau.
  2. 2
    Pièce de bois, de métal ou de plastique pour serrer ou pour assujettir certaines choses.
  3. 3
    Entrave.
  4. 4
    Poinçon qui sert à marquer de la vaisselle, des bijoux d’or et d’argent.
  5. 5
    Morceau d’acier gravé en creux dont on se sert pour frapper de la monnaie, des médailles. → voir fleur de coin.
  6. 6
    Marque.
  7. 7
    Endroit, lieu où se trouve un angle saillant ou rentrant.
  8. 8
    Lieu isolé, dans la salle de classe, où doit se tenir debout un élève puni; punition par laquelle un élève doit se tenir debout dans un lieu isolé de la classe, le dos tourné à ses camarades
  9. 9
    Endroit qui n’est pas exposé à la vue.
  10. 10
    Endroit retiré et peu fréquenté.
  11. 11
    Quartier.
  12. 12
    Lieu, région.
  13. 13
    Partie.
  14. 14
    Extrémité.
  15. 15
    Parement décoratif, souvent brodé, sur les côtés d'un bas, généralement dans la partie inférieure.
  16. 16
    Morceau, portion de quelque chose.
  17. 17
    Pièces de parchemin, de cuir ou de métal dont on garnit les angles d’un livre, d’un registre.
  18. 18
    Troupe d’infanterie formant un bataillon triangulaire dont une pointe était tournée vers l’ennemi.
  19. 19
    Incisives qui sont le plus près des crocs, de chaque côté de la bouche du cheval.
  20. 20
    Une des quatre cases du coin de l’échiquier (a8, a1, h1 ou h8).
  21. 21
    Emplacement, souvent secret, de récolte de plantes, de champignons.

Synonyms

martyr

This word in other languages

wedge(English)cuña(Español)Keil(Deutsch)cunha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccoin,cion,coinn,coni,ocin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of coin - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccoin1cion2coinn1coni2ocin2
Edit distance from "coin"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "coin"?
"coin" is spelled C-O-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \kwɛ̃\.
What does "coin" mean?
As a noun, "coin" means: Pièce de fer ou de bois ou de toute autre matière dure, de forme prismatique, dont on se sert principalement pour fendre du bois, des pierres, en la faisant entrer de force avec un maillet ou un ma...
What words are commonly confused with "coin"?
"coin" is commonly confused with "con", "cou", "col". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coin" is \kwɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "coin" come from?
"coin" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “coin”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kwɛ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “con” - see the side-by-side comparison. coin vs con
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list