pop

/pɒp/

//pɒp// noun

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

"pop" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“pop” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,435 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,435
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A loud, sharp sound, as of a cork coming out of a bottle, especially when the contents are pressurized by fizziness.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

pop vs PP
0% similar
pop vs PR
0% similar
pop vs pt
33% similar

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

Key facts for pop
PropertyValue
Headwordpop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pɒp/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,435
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “pop” 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). pop 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 pop is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /pɒp/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,435 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

pop has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "PP", "PR", "pt", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English pop, poppe (“a blow; strike; buffet”) (> Middle English poppen (“to strike; thrust”, verb)), of onomatopoeic origin – used to describe the sound, or short, sharp actions. The physics sense is part of a facetious sequence "snap, crackle, … The correct English form is pop, spelled P-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A loud, sharp sound, as of a cork coming out of a bottle, especially when the contents are pressurized by fizziness.
  2. 2
    An effervescent or fizzy drink, most frequently nonalcoholic; soda pop.
  3. 3
    A bottle, can, or serving of effervescent or fizzy drink, most frequently nonalcoholic; a soda pop.
  4. 4
    A pop shot: a quick, possibly unaimed, shot with a firearm.
  5. 5
    A quantity dispensed; a portion; apiece.
  6. 6
    Something that stands out or is distinctive to the mind or senses.
  7. 7
    The removal of a data item from the top of a stack.
  8. 8
    A bird, the European redwing.
  9. 9
    The sixth derivative of the position vector with respect to time (after velocity, acceleration, jerk, jounce, crackle), i.e. the rate of change of crackle.
  10. 10
    A pistol.
  11. 11
    A small, immature peanut, boiled as a snack.
  12. 12
    Ellipsis of freeze pop.
  13. 13
    A lollipop.
  14. 14
    A (usually very) loud audience reaction.
  15. 15
    The pulling of a string away from the fretboard and releasing it so that it snaps back.

Etymology

From Middle English pop, poppe (“a blow; strike; buffet”) (> Middle English poppen (“to strike; thrust”, verb)), of onomatopoeic origin – used to describe the sound, or short, sharp actions. The physics sense is part of a facetious sequence "snap, crackle, pop", after the mascots of Rice Krispies cereal.

Synonyms

the list at soda

This word in other languages

Sprudelwasser(Deutsch)alto(Português)

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 "pop"?
"pop" is spelled P-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /pɒp/.
What does "pop" mean?
As a noun, "pop" means: A loud, sharp sound, as of a cork coming out of a bottle, especially when the contents are pressurized by fizziness.
What words are commonly confused with "pop"?
"pop" is commonly confused with "PP", "PR", "pt". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "pop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "pop" is /pɒp/. 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 "pop"?
From Middle English pop, poppe (“a blow; strike; buffet”) (> Middle English poppen (“to strike; thrust”, verb)), of onomatopoeic origin – used to describe the sound, or short, sharp actions. The physics sense is part of a facetious sequence "snap,... 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 “pop”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is P-O-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /pɒp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “PP” - see the side-by-side comparison. pop vs PP
  • 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