poppycock
/ˈpɑpiˌkɑk/noun
poppycock is spelled P-O-P-P-Y-C-O-C-K: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 105,204th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, poppycock means “foolish talk; nonsense” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of poppycock is poppycocks.
How many letters and syllables are in poppycock?
| Letters | 9: P-O-P-P-Y-C-O-C-K |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 105,204th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is poppycock?
Poppycock appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 105,204th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce poppycock?
- UK /ˈpɒpikɒk/
- US /ˈpɑpiˌkɑk/
Poppycock has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-poppycock.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of poppycock
- poppycocks plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does poppycock mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
colloquialfoolish talk; nonsense.
That rumor is nothing but sheer poppycock.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Poppycock in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense nonsense:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | baliverne |
| German | Quatsch, Dünnschiss |
| Spanish | tontería, sinsentido |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does poppycock come from?
Borrowed from Dutch pappekak, from Middle Dutch pappe (“soft food”) + kak (“dung, excrement”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).