copyist

/ˈkɑpiɪst/

//ˈkɑpiɪst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“copyist” is uncommon English (frequency #77,555 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,555
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person who makes manual copies of works such as manuscripts or paintings.

Corpus desk

Index EN-copyist · copyist · English

copyist · rank #77,555 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,555
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coppice

Nearest frequency peer: coppice (-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 “copyist”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for copyist
PropertyValue
Headwordcopyist
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɑpiɪst/
Letters7
Frequency rank#77,555
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “copyist” 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).copyistfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “coppice” (#77,554), “Coniston” (#77,552), “corpo” (#77,558). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “copyist” is #77,555. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

copyist is uncommon English at frequency #77,555 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɑpiɪst/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A person who makes manual copies of works such as manuscripts or paintings.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for copyist in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From copy + -ist. The correct English form is copyist, spelled C-O-P-Y-I-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person who makes manual copies of works such as manuscripts or paintings.

Etymology

From copy + -ist.

This word in other languages

copista(Español)copiste(Français)Kopist(Deutsch)copista(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 "copyist"?
"copyist" is spelled C-O-P-Y-I-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɑpiɪst/.
What does "copyist" mean?
As a noun, "copyist" means: A person who makes manual copies of works such as manuscripts or paintings.
How do you pronounce "copyist"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "copyist" is /ˈkɑpiɪst/. 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 "copyist"?
From copy + -ist. 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 "copyist", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

coppice#77,554cortege#77,560Cilicia#77,532chemise#77,524

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list