occult

/ˈɒk.ʌlt/

//ˈɒk.ʌlt// verb

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

"occult" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“occult” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,921. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,921
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To cover or hide from view.

Corpus desk

Index EN-occult · occult · English

occult · rank #19,921 · 7 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,921
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH O'Connell

Nearest frequency peer: O'Connell (-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 “occult”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “occult” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

occult vs occur
67% similar
occult vs occurs
67% similar
occult vs occupy
67% similar

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

Key facts for occult
PropertyValue
Headwordoccult
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɒk.ʌlt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#19,921
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “occult”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).occultlands 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 “O'Connell” (#19,920), “OCD” (#19,922), “nuke” (#19,919). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “occult” is #19,921. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around occult (IPA /ˈɒk.ʌlt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #19,921 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for occult, with forms such as "cocult", "occlut", and "occullt". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "occur", "occurs", "occupy", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin occultus (“hidden, secret”). The correct English form is occult, spelled O-C-C-U-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cover or hide from view.
  2. 2
    To dissimulate, conceal, or obfuscate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The Earth occults the Moon during a lunar eclipse.
  2. […]to do so would occult rather than illuminate the utterly unexpected and surprising character of his coming and of his reign.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin occultus (“hidden, secret”).

This word in other languages

occulter(Français)ocultar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cocult
  • occlut
  • occullt
  • occultt
  • occutl
  • ocuclt
  • ocult

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of occult - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cocult2occlut2occullt1occultt1occutl2ocuclt2ocult1
Edit distance from "occult"

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 "occult"?
"occult" is spelled O-C-C-U-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒk.ʌlt/.
What does "occult" mean?
As a verb, "occult" means: To cover or hide from view.
What words are commonly confused with "occult"?
"occult" is commonly confused with "occur", "occurs", "occupy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "occult"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "occult" is /ˈɒk.ʌlt/. 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 "occult"?
Borrowed from Latin occultus (“hidden, secret”). 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 "occult", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

muller#19,911mirage#19,906ponies#19,942McCann#19,897

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Marta7 variantsMarin7 variantsLouisa7 variantslipid7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list