copper
cop·per/ˈkɑpəɹ/noun, adjective, verb
copper is spelled C-O-P-P-E-R: 6 letters and 2 syllables (cop·per). It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, copper means “A reddish-brown metallic chemical element (symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this element” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of copper is coppers.
How many letters and syllables are in copper?
| Letters | 6: C-O-P-P-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: cop·per |
| In writing | 19 times per million words; the 4,521st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is copper?
Copper appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,521st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce copper?
- UK /ˈkɒpə/
- US /ˈkɑpəɹ/
- US /ˈkɒpə/
Copper has 2 syllables, split cop·per in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Tesco250-copper.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Naomi_Persephone_Amethyst_(NaomiAmethyst)-copper.wav, En-us-copper.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with copper?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as copper from its last stressed vowel (/ɑpəɹ/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of copper
- coppers plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- more copper comparative
- most copper superlative
- coppering participle, present
- coppered participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does copper mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A reddish-brown metallic chemical element (symbol Cu) with the atomic number 29; also, the metal made up of this element.
- 2
The reddish-brown colour of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
Near-synonyms: chestnut, russet
- 3
In full copper butterfly: any of various lycaenid butterflies with copper-coloured upperwings, especially those of the genera Lycaena and Paralucia.
- 4
datedAny of various specialized items made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1), where the use of the metal is either necessary or traditional to the function of the item.
- 5
datedA copper mug used for drinking alcoholic beverages.
- 6
datedA copper sheet on which an image or writing is engraved.
- 7
datedA coin, typically of a small denomination, originally made of copper and now chiefly of other metals such as bronze; specifically, an English or British penny or halfpenny; also, a United States cent; (uncountable) coins made of copper collectively.
- 8
USdatedIn the game of faro: originally a copper coin, now usually a small disc or token, placed on a playing card to indicate that a player bets against that card.
- 9
AustraliaUKslangA police officer, especially one in uniform.
- 10
USdatedslangChiefly preceded by a descriptive word: a private detective or a security guard.
- 11
AustraliaUKslangA person working as an informer for the police; a nark
- 12
AustraliaUKslangA prisoner who informs on fellow prisoners.
- 13
slangA component of the cop (“conical ball of thread wound on to the spindle”) in a spinning machine.
adjective
- 1
Made of copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
- 2
Having the reddish-brown colour of copper.
verb
- 1
To coat or sheathe (something) with copper (etymology 1, noun sense 1).
- 2
To give (something) a colour by applying a copper salt.
- 3
datedTo give copper coins to (someone); to pay.
- 4
USIn the game of faro: to place a copper coin, or now usually a small disc or token, on (a playing card) to indicate that a player bets against that card.
- 5
USTo bet against (something).
- 6
UKslangTo inform on (someone) to the police; to nark.
- 7
USarchaicslangTo arrest (someone).
- 8
UKslangTo inform on someone to the police.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Copper in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | cuivre , cuivré , flic, keuf, poulet, poulaga |
| German | Kupfer , Kupferfarbe , kupfern, küpfern , kupferfarben, kupferfarbig |
| Portuguese | cobre , cor de cobre , de cobre , cobreado, cor-de-cobre , cúprico |
| Spanish | cobre , paco , cobrizo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does copper come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).