copper
/ˈkɒpə/
"copper" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“copper” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,515 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #4,515
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 7
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A reddish-brown metallic chemical element (symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this element.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | copper |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkɒpə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #4,515 |
| Misspellings tracked | 7 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “copper” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for copper is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒpə/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,515 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for copper, with forms such as "ccopper", "copepr", and "coper". 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, "cover", "coupe", "cower", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is inherited from Middle English coper, copper (“copper ore; copper metal; bronze”), from Old English coper, copor (“copper”), from Late Latin cuprum (“copper”), a contraction of Latin aes Cyprium (literally “Cyprian brass or copper”), ultimately f… The correct English form is copper, spelled C-O-P-P-E-R.
Definition
- 1A reddish-brown metallic chemical element (symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this element.
- 2The reddish-brown colour of copper (etymology 1 sense 1).
- 3The reddish-brown colour of copper (etymology 1 sense 1).
- 4Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1 sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item.
- 5Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1 sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item.
- 6Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1 sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item.
- 7Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1 sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item.
- 8Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1 sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item.
- 9Any of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1 sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item.
Etymology
The noun is inherited from Middle English coper, copper (“copper ore; copper metal; bronze”), from Old English coper, copor (“copper”), from Late Latin cuprum (“copper”), a contraction of Latin aes Cyprium (literally “Cyprian brass or copper”), ultimately from Ancient Greek Κῠ́προς (Kŭ́pros, “Cyprus”) (a major source of copper during the Near East’s Bronze Age), from the name of a Northwest Semitic goddess from the root כ־ב־ר/ك ب ر (k b r) (“related to being big, large; great; or old”). Doublet of kobo. The adjective is from an attributive use of the noun. The verb is also derived from the noun. cognates * Dutch koper (“copper”) * German Kupfer (“copper”) * Icelandic kopar (“copper”)
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccopper,copepr,coper,copperr,coppre,cpoper,ocpper
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of copper - 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.
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
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Using “copper”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-O-P-P-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɒpə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “cover” - see the side-by-side comparison. copper vs cover
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.