coup

/kuː/

//kuː// noun

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

"coup" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“coup” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,113 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,113
frequency rank, English
4
letters
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

coup vs cp
50% similar
coup vs CU
0% similar
coup vs cut
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for coup
PropertyValue
Headwordcoup
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kuː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,113
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “coup” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for coup is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,113 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for coup, with forms such as "ccoup", "copu", and "coupp". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cp", "CU", "cut", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Reborrowed in modern times from modern French coup (“blow, strike”), from Old French coup, colp, from Late Latin colpus, from Latin colaphus. Doublet of cope and colpus. The same Old French word had been borrowed into Middle English as coupe, caupe (with di… The correct English form is coup, spelled C-O-U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act.
  2. 2
    Of Native Americans, a blow against an enemy delivered in a way that demonstrates bravery.
  3. 3
    A coup d'état.
  4. 4
    A takeover of one group by another.
  5. 5
    A single roll of the wheel at roulette, or a deal in rouge et noir.
  6. 6
    One of various named strategies employed by the declarer to win more tricks, such as the Bath coup.

Etymology

Reborrowed in modern times from modern French coup (“blow, strike”), from Old French coup, colp, from Late Latin colpus, from Latin colaphus. Doublet of cope and colpus. The same Old French word had been borrowed into Middle English as coupe, caupe (with different pronunciation).

This word in other languages

Coup(Deutsch)golpe(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccoup,copu,coupp,cuop,ocup

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of coup - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccoup1copu2coupp1cuop2ocup2
Edit distance from "coup"

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 "coup"?
"coup" is spelled C-O-U-P. The IPA pronunciation is /kuː/.
What does "coup" mean?
As a noun, "coup" means: A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act.
What words are commonly confused with "coup"?
"coup" is commonly confused with "cp", "CU", "cut". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "coup"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "coup" is /kuː/. 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 "coup"?
Reborrowed in modern times from modern French coup (“blow, strike”), from Old French coup, colp, from Late Latin colpus, from Latin colaphus. Doublet of cope and colpus. The same Old French word had been borrowed into Middle English as coupe, caup... 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.

Using “coup”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-O-U-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “cp” - see the side-by-side comparison. coup vs cp
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list