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 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#96,871
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To live together with someone else, especially in a romantic and sexual relationship but without being married.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cohabit · cohabit · English

cohabit · rank #96,871 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #96,871
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cofounded

Nearest frequency peer: cofounded (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “cohabit”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cohabit” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cohabit
PropertyValue
Headwordcohabit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/koʊˈhæbɪt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#96,871
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cohabit” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).cohabitfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “cofounded” (#96,870), “coincidently” (#96,872), “Colima” (#96,873). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cohabit” is #96,871. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cohabit is uncommon English at frequency #96,871 among 5,599 “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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how cohabit appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. An outright far-right victory in the two-round poll, which commences on 30 June, could render Macron a lame duck, doomed to “cohabit” with an overtly xenophobic, Islamophobic, authoritarian and illiberal government led, prospectively, by Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s young protege

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "cohabit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

clavier#96,864Chitral#96,860cheyney#96,855Corunna#96,891

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list