copulate

Name: copulate, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkɒp.jʊ.leɪt/

//ˈkɒp.jʊ.leɪt// verb

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“copulate” is uncommon English (frequency #76,667 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,667
frequency rank, English: 5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To engage in sexual intercourse.

Corpus desk

Index EN-copulate · copulate · English

copulate · rank #76,667 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-RARE #76,667
LEN-LONG 8 letters
VOW-4 4 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-0 0 variants
BOOK-DENSE 5,599
PHOTO-FINISH Coombe

Nearest frequency peer: Coombe (-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.

Conran

23,338
contrive

23,336
Coombe

23,335
copulate

23,334
corsage

23,331
cosmetically

23,330

What this shows Bars show where “copulate” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Key facts for copulate
Property	Value
Headword	copulate
Language	English
Part of speech	Verb
IPA	/ˈkɒp.jʊ.leɪt/
Letters	8
Frequency rank	#76,667
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “copulate” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).copulatelands here:

#76,667

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “Coombe” (#76,666), “contrive” (#76,665), “corsage” (#76,670). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

copulate is uncommon English at frequency #76,667 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈkɒp.jʊ.leɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To engage in sexual intercourse.".

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for copulate, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. 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: From Latin cōpulātus, perfect passive participle of cōpulō (“to couple, join, connect”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French copuler. The correct English form is copulate, spelled C-O-P-U-L-A-T-E.

Definition

1
To engage in sexual intercourse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

The amorous couple were found copulating inside the car.

Etymology

From Latin cōpulātus, perfect passive participle of cōpulō (“to couple, join, connect”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French copuler.

Synonyms

fuck have sex make love screw swive bang sleep together boff approach cohabit company copulate coupleengage in sexexchange fleshhave intimate relationshave marital relationshave sexual relationsintercourse know know someone in the biblical sense mateshare a bedstrainbaufbeat bone boink bonk bop bounce breed bump nasties bump uglies catch a dick clap cheeks dance discuss Uganda dip one's pen in someone's inkwell do it do the deed do the nasty eff engender expletive deleted frack frak frick frig get busy get down get freaky get it get it on get jiggy get laid get luckyget one's dick wetget one's end awayget one's freak onget one's groove on get one's leg over get one's oats get physical get some get the dirty water off one's chest graft the forked tree go all the way haul one's ashes have it awayhave it offhide the salamihide the sausagehide the wieniehike the Appalachian Trail hook up hump jig-jig knock boots lay pipelay the pipemake it make outmake the beast with two backsmake whoopee meddle ming Netflix and chill penetrate pipe pipe down playplay hide the sausagepound rail ride rock and roll roger roll around root see someone's etchings sex shag shaboink shelve show someone one's etchings slap bellies stick tumble

Antonyms

abstain keep it in one's pants wouldn't touch with yours

This word in other languages

copular(Español)coïter(Français)kopulieren(Deutsch)copular(Português)

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 "copulate"?

"copulate" is spelled C-O-P-U-L-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒp.jʊ.leɪt/.

What does "copulate" mean?

As a verb, "copulate" means: To engage in sexual intercourse.

How do you pronounce "copulate"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "copulate" is /ˈkɒp.jʊ.leɪt/. 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 "copulate"?

From Latin cōpulātus, perfect passive participle of cōpulō (“to couple, join, connect”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French copuler. 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 "copulate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

contrive#76,665 creepily#76,677 croaking#76,678 crutcher#76,683

What to do next

You've looked up "copulate". Here's where to go from here.

Usage frequency rank #76,667 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
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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.