copse

/kɒps/

//kɒps// noun

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

The verdict

“copse” is uncommon English (frequency #63,526 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,526
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A coppice: an area of woodland managed by coppicing (periodic cutting near stump level).

Corpus desk

Index EN-copse · copse · English

copse · rank #63,526 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,526
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH conversationa…

Nearest frequency peer: conversationalist (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “copse”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “copse” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for copse
PropertyValue
Headwordcopse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɒps/
Letters5
Frequency rank#63,526
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “copse” in English

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).copsefalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “conversationalist” (#63,525), “cormorant” (#63,528), “confiding” (#63,523). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “copse” is #63,526. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

copse is uncommon English at frequency #63,526 among 5,599 “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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Agrimonie groweth in places not tylled, in rough stone mountaynes, in hedges and Copses, and by waysides.
  2. The day is come when I again repose Here, under this dark sycamore, and view These plots of cottage-ground, these orchard tufts, Which at this season, with their unripe fruits, Among the woods and copses lose themselves,

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "copse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list