opera

/ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/

//ˈɒp.ə.ɹə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“opera” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,544. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,544
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-opera · opera · English

opera · rank #4,544 · 6 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,544
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH Oklahoma

Nearest frequency peer: Oklahoma (-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 “opera”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “opera” 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).

opera vs ora
60% similar
opera vs over
60% similar
opera vs oppa
60% similar

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

Key facts for opera
PropertyValue
Headwordopera
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,544
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “opera”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).operalands 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 “Oklahoma” (#4,543), “overcome” (#4,545), “Murray” (#4,542). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “opera” is #4,544. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around opera (IPA /ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,544 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for opera, with forms such as "oepra", "opear", and "operra". 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 14 confusable-pair relationships, "ora", "over", "oppa", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Italian opera. Doublet of oeuvre, opus, and ure. The correct English form is opera, spelled O-P-E-R-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.
  2. 2
    The score for such a work.
  3. 3
    The genre of such works, the art of composing operas.
  4. 4
    A building designed for the performance of such works; an opera house.
  5. 5
    A company dedicated to performing such works.
  6. 6
    Any showy, melodramatic or unrealistic production resembling an opera.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. “I don't mean all of your friends—only a small proportion—which, however, connects your circle with that deadly, idle, brainless bunch—the insolent chatterers at the opera, the gorged dowagers,[…], the jewelled animals whose moral code is the code of the barnyard—!"

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian opera. Doublet of oeuvre, opus, and ure.

This word in other languages

ópera(Español)opéra(Français)Oper(Deutsch)ópera(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oepra
  • opear
  • operra
  • oppera
  • oprea
  • poera

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of opera - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

oepra2opear2operra1oppera1oprea2poera2
Edit distance from "opera"

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 "opera"?
"opera" is spelled O-P-E-R-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/.
What does "opera" mean?
As a noun, "opera" means: A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.
What words are commonly confused with "opera"?
"opera" is commonly confused with "ora", "over", "oppa". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "opera"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "opera" is /ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/. 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 "opera"?
Borrowed from Italian opera. Doublet of oeuvre, opus, and ure. 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 "opera", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

quest#4,551sized#4,554tanks#4,557Tokyo#4,558

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

dawn6 variantsAlice6 variantsBarry6 variantsallies6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list