octopus

/ˈɒktəpʊs/

//ˈɒktəpʊs// noun

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

"octopus" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“octopus” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,872 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,872
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any of several marine molluscs of the order Octopoda, having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid and cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers.

Key facts for octopus
PropertyValue
Headwordoctopus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒktəpʊs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,872
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “octopus” 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). octopus lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for octopus is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɒktəpʊs/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,872 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for octopus, with forms such as "cotopus", "occtopus", and "ocotpus". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin octōpūs, from Ancient Greek ὀκτώπους (oktṓpous), from ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”) + πούς (poús, “foot”). Piecewise doublet of octopod and octopede. The correct English form is octopus, spelled O-C-T-O-P-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of several marine molluscs of the order Octopoda, having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid and cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers.
  2. 2
    A mollusc from genus Octopus.
  3. 3
    The flesh of these marine molluscs eaten as food.
  4. 4
    An organization that has many powerful branches controlled from the centre.
  5. 5
    An instance of a player scoring a touchdown immediately followed by a successful two-point conversion, resulting in a total score of eight points.
  6. 6
    A safety device allowing divers to share an air supply in an emergency.

Etymology

From Latin octōpūs, from Ancient Greek ὀκτώπους (oktṓpous), from ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”) + πούς (poús, “foot”). Piecewise doublet of octopod and octopede.

Synonyms

polypus

This word in other languages

pulpo(Español)pieuvre(Français)Tintenfisch(Deutsch)polvo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: cotopus,occtopus,ocotpus,octoppus,octopsu,octopuss,octoups,octpous,octtopus,otcopus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of octopus - 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.

cotopus2occtopus1ocotpus2octoppus1octopsu2octopuss1octoups2octpous2
Edit distance from "octopus"

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 "octopus"?
"octopus" is spelled O-C-T-O-P-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒktəpʊs/.
What does "octopus" mean?
As a noun, "octopus" means: Any of several marine molluscs of the order Octopoda, having no internal or external protective shell or bone (unlike the nautilus, squid and cuttlefish) and eight arms each covered with suckers.
What are common misspellings of "octopus"?
Common misspellings include "cotopus", "occtopus", "ocotpus", "octoppus", "octopsu". The correct spelling is "octopus".
How do you pronounce "octopus"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "octopus" is /ˈɒktəpʊs/. 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 "octopus"?
From Latin octōpūs, from Ancient Greek ὀκτώπους (oktṓpous), from ὀκτώ (oktṓ, “eight”) + πούς (poús, “foot”). Piecewise doublet of octopod and octopede. 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.

Using “octopus”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is O-C-T-O-P-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɒktəpʊs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list