coop

/kuːp/

//kuːp// noun

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

"coop" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coop” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #16,874) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#16,874
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A basket, pen or enclosure for birds or small animals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-coop · coop · English

coop · rank #16,874 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,874
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH converter

Nearest frequency peer: converter (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “coop”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “coop” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

coop vs cp
50% similar
coop vs cup
50% similar
coop vs cop
75% similar

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

Key facts for coop
PropertyValue
Headwordcoop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kuːp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#16,874
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “coop”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “converter” (#16,873), “contemplate” (#16,872), “coronary” (#16,876). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “coop” is #16,874. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for coop is neighbouring look-alikes ("cp", "cup", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /kuːp/. Frequency #16,874 among 5,599 “C” headwords. 5 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for coop, with forms such as "ccoop", "coopp", and "copo". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cp", "cup", "cop", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cǒupe, cupe, from Old English cȳpe (“basket, cask”) or possibly from Middle Dutch cûpe (compare modern Dutch kuip, Saterland Frisian kupe, Middle Low German kûpe), from Old Saxon *kûpa, côpa (“cask”) (compare Middle Low German kôpe, Old … The correct English form is coop, spelled C-O-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A basket, pen or enclosure for birds or small animals.
  2. 2
    A wickerwork basket (kipe) or other enclosure for catching fish.
  3. 3
    A narrow place of confinement, a cage; a jail, a prison.
  4. 4
    A barrel or cask for holding liquids.
  5. 5
    An obstacle for a horse to jump over, shaped like an A-frame.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Poorly ventilated coops are likely to result in losses by suffocation, particularly during hot weather, when the coops are overcrowded. The bottom of the coop should be built solid of one-half-inch boards to prevent the birds' toes from sticking through and being injured.
  2. "Well," said Calvin, "we could go over to the chicken coop this afternoon when all the hens are inside laying eggs. We might find some clues."

Etymology

From Middle English cǒupe, cupe, from Old English cȳpe (“basket, cask”) or possibly from Middle Dutch cûpe (compare modern Dutch kuip, Saterland Frisian kupe, Middle Low German kûpe), from Old Saxon *kûpa, côpa (“cask”) (compare Middle Low German kôpe, Old High German chôfa, chuofa, Middle High German kuofe, modern regional German Kufe f (“cask”)), probably from Latin cūpa, Medieval Latin cōpa (“cask”) (thus a doublet of coupe, cup, and keeve). However, the Oxford English Dictionary notes that if the word is from Latin, “it is difficult to account for the umlaut in Old English cýpe”.

This word in other languages

gallinero(Español)poulailler(Français)Hühnerstall(Deutsch)galinheiro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccoop
  • coopp
  • copo
  • ocop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of coop - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccoop1coopp1copo2ocop2
Edit distance from "coop"

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 "coop"?
"coop" is spelled C-O-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /kuːp/.
What does "coop" mean?
As a noun, "coop" means: A basket, pen or enclosure for birds or small animals.
What words are commonly confused with "coop"?
"coop" is commonly confused with "cp", "cup", "cop". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coop" is /kuːp/. 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 "coop"?
From Middle English cǒupe, cupe, from Old English cȳpe (“basket, cask”) or possibly from Middle Dutch cûpe (compare modern Dutch kuip, Saterland Frisian kupe, Middle Low German kûpe), from Old Saxon *kûpa, côpa (“cask”) (compare Middle Low German ... 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 "coop", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deco#16,886Dora#16,893boob#16,852axes#16,846

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list