poplar

/ˈpɒp.lə(ɹ)/

//ˈpɒp.lə(ɹ)// noun

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

"poplar" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“poplar” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,558. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,558
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Populus.

Corpus desk

Index EN-poplar · poplar · English

poplar · rank #26,558 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,558
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH primordial

Nearest frequency peer: primordial (+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 “poplar”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “poplar” 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).

poplar vs poppa
67% similar
poplar vs popper
67% similar
poplar vs popular
86% similar

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

Key facts for poplar
PropertyValue
Headwordpoplar
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈpɒp.lə(ɹ)/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,558
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “poplar”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “primordial” (#26,559), “ponytail” (#26,556), “polygamy” (#26,555). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “poplar” is #26,558. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around poplar (IPA /ˈpɒp.lə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,558 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for poplar, with forms such as "opplar", "polpar", and "popalr". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "poppa", "popper", "popular", 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 popler, from Anglo-Norman popler and Old French poplier (compare French peuplier), from Latin pōpulus, with a suffix later added. The correct English form is poplar, spelled P-O-P-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Populus.
  2. 2
    Wood from the poplar tree.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. They are gathered under the low-hanging branches of a poplar, its gold and green leaves glittering on the breeze like tinsel.

Etymology

From Middle English popler, from Anglo-Norman popler and Old French poplier (compare French peuplier), from Latin pōpulus, with a suffix later added.

This word in other languages

álamo(Español)peuplier(Français)Pappel(Deutsch)choupo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opplar
  • polpar
  • popalr
  • poplarr
  • popllar
  • poplra
  • popplar
  • ppoplar

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

opplar2polpar2popalr2poplarr1popllar1poplra2popplar1ppoplar1
Edit distance from "poplar"

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 "poplar"?
"poplar" is spelled P-O-P-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒp.lə(ɹ)/.
What does "poplar" mean?
As a noun, "poplar" means: Any of various deciduous trees of the genus Populus.
What words are commonly confused with "poplar"?
"poplar" is commonly confused with "poppa", "popper", "popular". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "poplar"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "poplar" is /ˈpɒp.lə(ɹ)/. 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 "poplar"?
From Middle English popler, from Anglo-Norman popler and Old French poplier (compare French peuplier), from Latin pōpulus, with a suffix later added. 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 "poplar", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

planar#26,553quorum#26,566pegged#26,548rarest#26,570

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

reared8 variantsromano8 variantsnouveau8 variantsSCOTUS8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list