opera
/ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/
"opera" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“opera” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,544 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #4,544
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 14
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | opera |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #4,544 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 14 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “opera” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for opera is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,544 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.
- 2The score for such a work.
- 3The genre of such works, the art of composing operas.
- 4A building designed for the performance of such works; an opera house.
- 5A company dedicated to performing such works.
- 6Any showy, melodramatic or unrealistic production resembling an opera.
Etymology
Borrowed from Italian opera. Doublet of oeuvre, opus, and ure.
This word in other languages
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.
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
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Using “opera”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is O-P-E-R-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “ora” - see the side-by-side comparison. opera vs ora
- 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.