copulate
/ˈkɔ.pjə.leɪt/verb, adjective
copulate is spelled C-O-P-U-L-A-T-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, copulate means “To engage in sexual intercourse” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in copulate?
| Letters | 8: C-O-P-U-L-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is copulate?
Copulate appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th 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 copulate?
- UK /ˈkɒp.jʊ.leɪt/
- US /ˈkɔ.pjə.leɪt/
As an adjective (“Joined; associated; coupled”): /ˈkɒp.jʊ.lət/, /ˈkɔ.pjə.lət/.
Copulate has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-copulate.wav, En-us-copulate.oga, En-us-copulate-adj.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of copulate
- copulates present, singular, he/she/it
- copulating participle, present
- copulated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does copulate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To engage in sexual intercourse.
The amorous couple were found copulating inside the car.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteJoined; associated; coupled.
- 2
Joining subject and predicate; copulative.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Copulate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to engage in sexual intercourse:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | copuler |
| German | kopulieren, beischlafen, vögeln |
| Portuguese | copular |
| Spanish | copular |
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 copulate come from?
From Latin cōpulātus, perfect passive participle of cōpulō (“to couple, join, connect”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French copuler.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).