occur

/əˈkɜː/

//əˈkɜː// verb

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

"occur" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“occur” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,187. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,187
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To happen or take place.

Corpus desk

Index EN-occur · occur · English

occur · rank #3,187 · 5 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,187
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH nights

Nearest frequency peer: nights (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “occur”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “occur” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

occur vs our
60% similar
occur vs OCR
0% similar
occur vs Oscar
40% similar

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

Key facts for occur
PropertyValue
Headwordoccur
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈkɜː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,187
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “occur” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).occur lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around occur (IPA /əˈkɜː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #3,187 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for occur, with forms such as "cocur", "occru", and "occurr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "our", "OCR", "Oscar", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Originally "meet (in argument)", borrowed from Middle French occurrer, from Latin occurrō (“run to meet, run against, befall, present itself”) from prefix ob- (“against”) + verb currō (“run, hurry, move”). The correct English form is occur, spelled O-C-C-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To happen or take place.
  2. 2
    To present or offer itself.
  3. 3
    To come or be presented to the mind; to suggest itself.
  4. 4
    To be present or found.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The liftoff will occur in exactly twelve seconds.
  2. And no use for anyone to tell Charles that this was because the Family was in mourning for Mr Granville Darracott […]: Charles might only have been second footman at Darracott Place for a couple of months when that disaster occurred, but no one could gammon him into thinking that my lord cared a spangle for his heir.

Etymology

Originally "meet (in argument)", borrowed from Middle French occurrer, from Latin occurrō (“run to meet, run against, befall, present itself”) from prefix ob- (“against”) + verb currō (“run, hurry, move”).

Synonyms

belimpbetidebetimecome to passhappentake placeappeararisecome up

This word in other languages

ocurrir(Español)se produire(Français)passieren(Deutsch)ocorrer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cocur
  • occru
  • occurr
  • ocucr
  • ocur

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cocur2occru2occurr1ocucr2ocur1
Edit distance from "occur"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "occur"?
"occur" is spelled O-C-C-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkɜː/.
What does "occur" mean?
As a verb, "occur" means: To happen or take place.
What words are commonly confused with "occur"?
"occur" is commonly confused with "our", "OCR", "Oscar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "occur"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "occur" is /əˈkɜː/. 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 "occur"?
Originally "meet (in argument)", borrowed from Middle French occurrer, from Latin occurrō (“run to meet, run against, befall, present itself”) from prefix ob- (“against”) + verb currō (“run, hurry, move”). 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 "occur", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mount#3,185Miami#3,183tears#3,198argue#3,206

Similar misspelling depth

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

audio5 variantsgear5 variantsloose5 variantsrape5 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "occur". Here's where to go from here.

  • "occur" maps to 9 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "our". View pair
  • 5 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,187 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "O" letter cohort. O–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list