copycat

noun

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

"copycat" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“copycat” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,936. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,936
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One who imitates or plagiarizes others' work.

Corpus desk

Index EN-copycat · copycat · English

copycat · rank #31,936 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,936
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH corroborate

Nearest frequency peer: corroborate (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “copycat”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “copycat” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for copycat
PropertyValue
Headwordcopycat
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters7
Frequency rank#31,936
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “copycat”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “corroborate” (#31,937), “constructor” (#31,934), “congresswoman” (#31,933). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “copycat” is #31,936. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around copycat, anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,936 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for copycat, with forms such as "ccopycat", "copcyat", and "coppycat". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. 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: Originally American English, from copy + cat (“former derogatory term for a person”). The correct English form is copycat, spelled C-O-P-Y-C-A-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    One who imitates or plagiarizes others' work.
  2. 2
    A criminal who imitates the crimes of another; specifically, a criminal who commits the same crime, especially a highly-publicized one, that has just or recently been committed by someone else.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And in it all they are merely copy-cats—servile followers of the aristocratic creed, but without the genuine prestige of the old-time nobilities.
  2. I wanted to make them brilliant. I wanted to make them interesting. And of course I could not do it by myself. I am nothing but a copycat. I just quoted a lot of things I had heard you say; and I did worse than that, Peter.

Etymology

Originally American English, from copy + cat (“former derogatory term for a person”).

This word in other languages

copión(Español)copycat(Français)Nachahmer(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccopycat
  • copcyat
  • coppycat
  • copyact
  • copycatt
  • copyccat
  • copycta
  • copyycat
  • coypcat
  • cpoycat
  • ocpycat

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of copycat - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccopycat1copcyat2coppycat1copyact2copycatt1copyccat1copycta2copyycat1
Edit distance from "copycat"

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 "copycat"?
"copycat" is spelled C-O-P-Y-C-A-T.
What does "copycat" mean?
As a noun, "copycat" means: One who imitates or plagiarizes others' work.
What are common misspellings of "copycat"?
Common misspellings include "ccopycat", "copcyat", "coppycat", "copyact", "copycatt". The correct spelling is "copycat".
What is the origin of the word "copycat"?
Originally American English, from copy + cat (“former derogatory term for a person”). 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 "copycat", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

confine#31,931cursory#31,943Daniela#31,945compels#31,925

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

casings11 variantsfantasia11 variantsayatollah11 variantsabysmal11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list