copse

/kɒps/

//kɒps// noun

"copse" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“copse” is uncommon English (frequency #63,526 among 43,570 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,526
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A coppice: an area of woodland managed by coppicing (periodic cutting near stump level).

Key facts for copse
PropertyValue
Headwordcopse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɒps/
Letters5
Frequency rank#63,526
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “copse” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

copse is uncommon English at frequency #63,526 among 43,570 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɒps/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

copse has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: 1578, from coppice, by contraction, originally meaning “small wood grown for purposes of periodic cutting”. The correct English form is copse, spelled C-O-P-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A coppice: an area of woodland managed by coppicing (periodic cutting near stump level).
  2. 2
    Any thicket of small trees or shrubs, coppiced or not.
  3. 3
    Any woodland or woodlot.

Etymology

1578, from coppice, by contraction, originally meaning “small wood grown for purposes of periodic cutting”.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "copse"?
"copse" is spelled C-O-P-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kɒps/.
What does "copse" mean?
As a noun, "copse" means: A coppice: an area of woodland managed by coppicing (periodic cutting near stump level).
How do you pronounce "copse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "copse" is /kɒps/. 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 "copse"?
1578, from coppice, by contraction, originally meaning “small wood grown for purposes of periodic cutting”. 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.

Using “copse”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-P-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kɒps/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list