# coup

> English word · Noun · IPA /kuː/ · frequency rank #7,113

## Definitions
1. A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act.
2. Of Native Americans, a blow against an enemy delivered in a way that demonstrates bravery.
3. A coup d'état.
4. A takeover of one group by another.
5. A single roll of the wheel at roulette, or a deal in rouge et noir.
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).

## Easily confused with
- **cp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cp)
- **CU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cu)
- **cut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cut)
- **cup** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cup)
- **cow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cow)
- **cum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cum)
- **cox** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cox)
- **cuz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cuz)
- **cue** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cue)
- **CPU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cpu)
- **Cub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cub)
- **coz** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-coz)
- **coy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-coy)
- **CSU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-csu)
- **cur** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cur)
- **Cov** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cov)
- **CSP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-csp)
- **Cui** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cui)
- **cru** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-cru)
- **crap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/coup-vs-crap)

## Common misspellings (5)
`ccoup`, `copu`, `coupp`, `cuop`, `ocup`

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