# occupation

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌɒkjʊˈpeɪʃən/ · frequency rank #5,146

## Definitions
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.

## 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.

## Easily confused with
- **occupations** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/occupation-vs-occupations)
- **occupational** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/occupation-vs-occupational)

## Common misspellings (13)
`cocupation`, `occpuation`, `occuaption`, `occupaiton`, `occupasion`, `occupatino`, `occupationn`, `occupatoin`, `occupattion`, `occuppation`, `occuptaion`, `ocucpation`, `ocupation`

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