occupation

/ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/

//ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən// noun

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

"occupation" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“occupation” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,146. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,146
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An activity or task with which one occupies oneself; usually specifically the productive activity, service, trade, or craft for which one is regularly paid; a job.

Corpus desk

Index EN-occupation · occupation · English

occupation · rank #5,146 · 13 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,146
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH missions

Nearest frequency peer: missions (-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 “occupation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “occupation” 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).

occupation vs occupations
91% similar
occupation vs occupational
83% similar

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

Key facts for occupation
PropertyValue
Headwordoccupation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#5,146
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “occupation”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).occupationlands 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 “missions” (#5,145), “opponent” (#5,147), “mentally” (#5,144). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “occupation” is #5,146. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around occupation (IPA /ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #5,146 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for occupation, with forms such as "cocupation", "occpuation", and "occuaption". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "occupations", "occupational", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English occupacioun, borrowed from Middle French occupacion, occupation, from Latin occupātiō, occupātiōnis, from occupō (“occupy, seize”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, grab”). By surface analysis, occupy + -ation. The correct English form is occupation, spelled O-C-C-U-P-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    An activity or task with which one occupies oneself; usually specifically the productive activity, service, trade, or craft for which one is regularly paid; a job.
  2. 2
    The act, process or state of possessing a place.
  3. 3
    The control of a nation or region by a hostile military or paramilitary force.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Last year it was announced that electrification of L.M.R. main lines was to be speeded up and that it would be essential for the engineers to have the longest possible occupation of the lines involved; this would mean some retrenchment of passenger train services.
  2. The early years of Norman occupation saw a frenzy of castle building.

Etymology

From Middle English occupacioun, borrowed from Middle French occupacion, occupation, from Latin occupātiō, occupātiōnis, from occupō (“occupy, seize”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, grab”). By surface analysis, occupy + -ation.

Synonyms

employmentinterestline of workprofessionvocationavocationcallingworkjoboccupation

This word in other languages

ocupación(Español)occupation(Français)Beschäftigung(Deutsch)ocupação(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cocupation
  • occpuation
  • occuaption
  • occupaiton
  • occupasion
  • occupatino
  • occupationn
  • occupatoin
  • occupattion
  • occuppation
  • occuptaion
  • ocucpation
  • ocupation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cocupation2occpuation2occuaption2occupaiton2occupasion1occupatino2occupationn1occupatoin2
Edit distance from "occupation"

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 "occupation"?
"occupation" is spelled O-C-C-U-P-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/.
What does "occupation" mean?
As a noun, "occupation" means: An activity or task with which one occupies oneself; usually specifically the productive activity, service, trade, or craft for which one is regularly paid; a job.
What words are commonly confused with "occupation"?
"occupation" is commonly confused with "occupations", "occupational". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "occupation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "occupation" is /ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/. 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 "occupation"?
From Middle English occupacioun, borrowed from Middle French occupacion, occupation, from Latin occupātiō, occupātiōnis, from occupō (“occupy, seize”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, grab”). By surface analysis, occupy + -at... 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 "occupation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

influenced#5,137terrorists#5,167vulnerable#5,095commentary#5,203

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

Jerusalem13 variantsprivilege13 variantsrelatives13 variantsstriking13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list