cotter

\kɔ.te\

/\kɔ.te\/ verb

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

The verdict

“cotter” is uncommon French (frequency #83,739 among 257,141 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#83,739
frequency rank, French
257,141
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Variante orthographique du verbe coter.

Key facts for cotter
PropertyValue
Headwordcotter
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\kɔ.te\
Letters6
Frequency rank#83,739
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cotter” 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). cotter lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

cotter is uncommon French at frequency #83,739 among 257,141 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed \kɔ.te\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 7 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for cotter in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is cotter, spelled C-O-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Variante orthographique du verbe coter.
  2. 2
    Jaillir ^([1]).
  3. 3
    Serrer, assujettir, fixer, caler, mettre une cotte ^([2]).
  4. 4
    Border un lit, mettre les bords de couverture sous le matelas.
  5. 5
    S’arrêter, hésiter en récitant ou en déclamant.
  6. 6
    Ne pas tomber d’accord sur une vente, sur un achat qui allaient être faits ; se tenir à très peu de chose.
  7. 7
    Fermer à clé.

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 "cotter"?
"cotter" is spelled C-O-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \kɔ.te\.
What does "cotter" mean?
As a verb, "cotter" means: Variante orthographique du verbe coter.
How do you pronounce "cotter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cotter" is \kɔ.te\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cotter" come from?
"cotter" is a French 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.

Using “cotter”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-T-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kɔ.te\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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