# corpse

> English word · Noun · IPA /kɔːps/ · frequency rank #10,184

## Definitions
1. A dead body, especially that of a human as opposed to an animal.
2. The dead body of any animal with flesh; the dead body of a vertebrate; a carcass.
3. A human body in general, whether living or dead.

## Etymology
From Middle English, from earlier corse, from Old French cors, from Latin corpus (“body”).
Displaced native English likam and lich. The ⟨p⟩ was inserted due to the original Latin spelling. Doublet of corps and corpus, and distantly of riff (via Proto-Indo-European).
The verb sense derives from the notion of being unable to control laughter while acting as dead body.

## Easily confused with
- **curse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-curse)
- **coupe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-coupe)
- **coups** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-coups)
- **Corso** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-corso)
- **course** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-course)
- **couple** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-couple)
- **corpus** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-corpus)
- **corset** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-corset)
- **corrie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corpse-vs-corrie)
- **core** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/core-vs-corpse)
- **cops** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cops-vs-corpse)
- **cope** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cope-vs-corpse)
- **corps** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/corps-vs-corpse)
- **cores** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cores-vs-corpse)
- **cords** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cords-vs-corpse)
- **coarse** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coarse-vs-corpse)
- **compose** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/compose-vs-corpse)

## Common misspellings (9)
`ccorpse`, `coprse`, `corpes`, `corppse`, `corpsse`, `corrpse`, `corspe`, `cropse`, `ocrpse`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/corpse