cohabit

/koʊˈhæbɪt/

//koʊˈhæbɪt// verb

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

"cohabit" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cohabit” is uncommon English (frequency #96,871 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,871
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To live together with someone else, especially in a romantic and sexual relationship but without being married.

Key facts for cohabit
PropertyValue
Headwordcohabit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/koʊˈhæbɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#96,871
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cohabit” sits in English 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). cohabit 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

cohabit is uncommon English at frequency #96,871 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /koʊˈhæbɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

cohabit doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin cohabitō; co- + habitō (“I dwell, I live in”). The correct English form is cohabit, spelled C-O-H-A-B-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To live together with someone else, especially in a romantic and sexual relationship but without being married.
  2. 2
    To coexist in common environs with.
  3. 3
    To have sex; see coition.
  4. 4
    To cooperate with an opposing political party.

Etymology

From Latin cohabitō; co- + habitō (“I dwell, I live in”).

Synonyms

cohabitatefornicatehave sexmake lovecopulate

This word in other languages

convivir(Español)cohabiter(Français)zusammenleben(Deutsch)

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 "cohabit"?
"cohabit" is spelled C-O-H-A-B-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /koʊˈhæbɪt/.
What does "cohabit" mean?
As a verb, "cohabit" means: To live together with someone else, especially in a romantic and sexual relationship but without being married.
How do you pronounce "cohabit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cohabit" is /koʊˈhæbɪt/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "cohabit"?
From Latin cohabitō; co- + habitō (“I dwell, I live in”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 “cohabit”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-H-A-B-I-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /koʊˈhæbɪt/ (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

Other uncommon English 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