copulation

/kɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/

//kɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"copulation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“copulation” is uncommon English (frequency #50,438 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,438
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of coupling or joining; union; conjunction.

Corpus desk

Index EN-copulation · copulation · English

copulation · rank #50,438 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,438
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coq

Nearest frequency peer: coq (+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 “copulation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for copulation
PropertyValue
Headwordcopulation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#50,438
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “copulation” in English

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).copulationfalls 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: “coq” (#50,439), “coniferous” (#50,436), “coronet” (#50,440). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “copulation” is #50,438. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

copulation is uncommon English at frequency #50,438 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /kɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for copulation, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French copulation, from Latin copulo (“I join, unite, connect”). The correct English form is copulation, spelled C-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of coupling or joining; union; conjunction.
  2. 2
    Sexual procreation between a man and a woman or transfer of the sperm from male to female; usually applied to the mating process in nonhuman animals; coitus; coition.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I quite correctly defined logical copulation by means [of] the copula of inclusion.
  2. Solomon, who was one of the Deity's favorities, had a copulation cabinet composed of seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines.

Etymology

From Middle French copulation, from Latin copulo (“I join, unite, connect”).

Synonyms

aphrodisiacarnal knowledgecoituscoitioncommercecommixtioncongressconjunctionconnectionconsummationconversationcopulationcouplingintercourseintimacyintimate relationsintromissionjoininglovemakinglustmakingmatingmountingpareuniapenetrationrelationssexsexual congresssexual intercoursesexual relationsexual unionswivingunionthe beast with two backsthe birds and the beesboom-boomchesterfield rugbyhorizontal dancinghorizontal hulahorizontal jogginghorizontal mambohorizontal refreshmentshow's your fatherloveNetflix and chillphysical loveroll in the hayUgandan affairsUgandan discussionsactionassbangbarney-muggingbeef injectionbonkingcuntfuckfuckingfrigfucky-fuckyhot beef injectionhumphumpa humpajig-jigjiggy-jiggylaylegovermeat injectionnookieold hatpipeplowploughpoonpoontangpunanipussyriderootrumporumpy-pumpyseeing-tosexy timesexy timesscrewscrewingshagskinsnu snutangtrimhanky-pankyfunny businessmaking whoopeejiggery-pokerymonkey businessfooling aboutfooling aroundplaying around

Antonyms

abstinence

This word in other languages

cópula(Español)copulation(Français)Verbindung(Deutsch)cópula(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 "copulation"?
"copulation" is spelled C-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /kɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/.
What does "copulation" mean?
As a noun, "copulation" means: The act of coupling or joining; union; conjunction.
How do you pronounce "copulation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "copulation" is /kɒp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/. 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 "copulation"?
From Middle French copulation, from Latin copulo (“I join, unite, connect”). 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 "copulation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

coniferous#50,436Colossians#50,434colloquium#50,433creatinine#50,447

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list