cooperate

/kəʊˈɒp.ə.ɹeɪt/

//kəʊˈɒp.ə.ɹeɪt// verb

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

"cooperate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cooperate” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,723. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,723
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To work or act together, especially for a common purpose or benefit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cooperate · cooperate · English

cooperate · rank #9,723 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,723
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH constable

Nearest frequency peer: constable (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “cooperate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “cooperate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

cooperate vs corporate
78% similar
cooperate vs cooperative
82% similar

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

Key facts for cooperate
PropertyValue
Headwordcooperate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kəʊˈɒp.ə.ɹeɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,723
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cooperate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).cooperatelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “constable” (#9,722), “copied” (#9,725), “companions” (#9,720). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cooperate” is #9,723. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around cooperate (IPA /kəʊˈɒp.ə.ɹeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #9,723 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for cooperate, with forms such as "ccooperate", "cooeprate", and "coopearte". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "corporate", "cooperative", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Originated 1595–1605 from Late Latin cooperātus, perfect passive participle of cooperor (“to work with”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Equivalent to co- + operate. Displaced native Old English efnwyrċan. The correct English form is cooperate, spelled C-O-O-P-E-R-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To work or act together, especially for a common purpose or benefit.
  2. 2
    To allow for mutual unobstructed action.
  3. 3
    To function in harmony, side by side.
  4. 4
    To engage in economic cooperation.
  5. 5
    To obtain the cooperation of (a potential witness); to turn (someone) into a cooperating witness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In polling by the Pew Research Center in November 2008, fully half the respondents thought the two parties would cooperate more in the coming year, versus only 36 percent who thought the climate would grow more adversarial.

Etymology

Originated 1595–1605 from Late Latin cooperātus, perfect passive participle of cooperor (“to work with”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Equivalent to co- + operate. Displaced native Old English efnwyrċan.

Synonyms

coactcoadjuteco-opliaisemake common causeplay ball

This word in other languages

cooperar(Español)coopérer(Français)zusammenarbeiten(Deutsch)cooperar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccooperate
  • cooeprate
  • coopearte
  • cooperaet
  • cooperatte
  • cooperrate
  • coopertae
  • coopperate
  • coopreate
  • coperate
  • copoerate
  • ocoperate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccooperate1cooeprate2coopearte2cooperaet2cooperatte1cooperrate1coopertae2coopperate1
Edit distance from "cooperate"

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 "cooperate"?
"cooperate" is spelled C-O-O-P-E-R-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəʊˈɒp.ə.ɹeɪt/.
What does "cooperate" mean?
As a verb, "cooperate" means: To work or act together, especially for a common purpose or benefit.
What words are commonly confused with "cooperate"?
"cooperate" is commonly confused with "corporate", "cooperative". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cooperate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cooperate" is /kəʊˈɒp.ə.ɹeɪt/. 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 "cooperate"?
Originated 1595–1605 from Late Latin cooperātus, perfect passive participle of cooperor (“to work with”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix) for more. Equivalent to co- + operate. Displaced native Old English efnwyrċan. 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 "cooperate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

constable#9,722counselor#9,726assisting#9,701wandering#9,691

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

destined12 variantsdetached12 variantsenforced12 variantsanalyses12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list