occupation
/ˌɑkjʊˈpeɪʃən/noun
occupation is spelled O-C-C-U-P-A-T-I-O-N: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,121st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). 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…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of occupation is occupations.
How many letters and syllables are in occupation?
| Letters | 10: O-C-C-U-P-A-T-I-O-N |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 16 times per million words; the 5,121st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is occupation?
Occupation appears 16 times per million words in written English, the 5,121st most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce occupation?
- UK /ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/
- UK /ˌɒkjəˈpeɪʃən/
- US /ˌɑkjʊˈpeɪʃən/
Occupation has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-occupation.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with occupation?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as occupation from its last stressed vowel (/eɪʃən/):
- situation
- association
- population
- administration
- operation
- organization
- application
- location
- generation
- foundation
- conversation
- investigation
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of occupation
- occupations plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does occupation mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 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
The act, process or state of possessing a place.
- 3
The control of a nation or region by a hostile military or paramilitary force.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate occupation?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of occupation: occupn..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Occupation in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | occupation, métier, profession |
| German | Beschäftigung, Beruf , Besatzung, Besetzung, Okkupation |
| Portuguese | ocupação, serviço, emprego, trabalho, profissão |
| Spanish | ocupación |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does occupation come from?
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.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).