courtier

\kuʁ.tje\

/\kuʁ.tje\/ noun

The verdict

“courtier” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #13,150 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#13,150
frequency rank, French
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Mandataire (attention, pas au sens où le droit commercial l’entend) qui, moyennant une prime, s’entremet pour la vente ou l’achat de certaines marchandises, ou pour les affrètements, les assurances...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

courtier vs coûter
63% similar
courtier vs courtiers
89% similar
courtier vs courtiser
89% similar

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

Key facts for courtier
PropertyValue
Headwordcourtier
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\kuʁ.tje\
Letters8
Frequency rank#13,150
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “courtier” 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). courtier 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 courtier is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \kuʁ.tje\. Corpus data places it at rank #13,150 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for courtier, with forms such as "ccourtier", "corutier", and "couriter". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "coûter", "courtiers", "courtiser", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is courtier, spelled C-O-U-R-T-I-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mandataire (attention, pas au sens où le droit commercial l’entend) qui, moyennant une prime, s’entremet pour la vente ou l’achat de certaines marchandises, ou pour les affrètements, les assurances, etc.
  2. 2
    Intermédiaire qui agit sur les marchés financiers pour le compte de tiers ; intermédiaire qui met en relation deux parties pour qu’elles contractent.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccourtier,corutier,couriter,courrtier,courteir,courtierr,courtire,courttier,coutrier,cuortier,ocurtier

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of courtier - 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.

ccourtier1corutier2couriter2courrtier1courteir2courtierr1courtire2courttier1
Edit distance from "courtier"

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 "courtier"?
"courtier" is spelled C-O-U-R-T-I-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is \kuʁ.tje\.
What does "courtier" mean?
As a noun, "courtier" means: Mandataire (attention, pas au sens où le droit commercial l’entend) qui, moyennant une prime, s’entremet pour la vente ou l’achat de certaines marchandises, ou pour les affrètements, les assurances...
What words are commonly confused with "courtier"?
"courtier" is commonly confused with "coûter", "courtiers", "courtiser". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "courtier"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "courtier" is \kuʁ.tje\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "courtier" come from?
"courtier" 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 “courtier”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is C-O-U-R-T-I-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \kuʁ.tje\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “coûter” - see the side-by-side comparison. courtier vs coûter
  • 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