cognome

/ku.ɡˈno.mɨ/

//ku.ɡˈno.mɨ// noun

The verdict

“cognome” is uncommon Portuguese (frequency #96,527 among 3,948 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,527
frequency rank, Portuguese
3,948
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - nome de família após o prenome

Key facts for cognome
PropertyValue
Headwordcognome
LanguagePortuguese
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ku.ɡˈno.mɨ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#96,527
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cognome” sits in Portuguese 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). cognome 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

cognome is uncommon Portuguese at frequency #96,527 among 3,948 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ku.ɡˈno.mɨ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

cognome doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular Portuguese conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct Portuguese form is cognome, spelled C-O-G-N-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    nome de família após o prenome
  2. 2
    redutivo, diminutivo ou aumentativo relacionado ao prenome
  3. 3
    acréscimo ao nome indicativo de qualidade

Synonyms

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cognome"?
"cognome" is spelled C-O-G-N-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ku.ɡˈno.mɨ/.
What does "cognome" mean?
As a noun, "cognome" means: nome de família após o prenome
How do you pronounce "cognome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cognome" is /ku.ɡˈno.mɨ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "cognome" come from?
"cognome" is a Portuguese 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 “cognome”

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

  • The one correct Portuguese spelling is C-O-G-N-O-M-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ku.ɡˈno.mɨ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more Portuguese words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Portuguese words

Other uncommon Portuguese 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list