popular

/ˈpɒp.jʊ.lə/

//ˈpɒp.jʊ.lə// adj

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

"popular" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“popular” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #912 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#912
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Common among the general public; generally accepted.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

popular vs populate
75% similar
popular vs popularly
78% similar
popular vs polar
71% similar

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

Key facts for popular
PropertyValue
Headwordpopular
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɒp.jʊ.lə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#912
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “popular” 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). popular 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 popular is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈpɒp.jʊ.lə/. Corpus data places it at rank #912 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for popular, with forms such as "oppular", "popluar", and "poppular". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "populate", "popularly", "polar", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English populer, from Old French populaire and Latin populāris, from populus (“people”) + -āris (“-ar”). The correct English form is popular, spelled P-O-P-U-L-A-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Common among the general public; generally accepted.
  2. 2
    Concerning the people; public.
  3. 3
    Pertaining to or deriving from the people or general public.
  4. 4
    Of low birth, not noble; vulgar, plebian.
  5. 5
    Aimed at ordinary people, as opposed to specialists etc.; intended for general consumption.
  6. 6
    Cultivating the favour of the common people.
  7. 7
    Liked by many people; generally pleasing, widely admired.
  8. 8
    Adapted to the means of the common people; cheap.

Etymology

From Middle English populer, from Old French populaire and Latin populāris, from populus (“people”) + -āris (“-ar”).

Antonyms

anonymousunpopular

This word in other languages

popular(Español)populaire(Français)Volks-(Deutsch)popular(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: oppular,popluar,poppular,popualr,popularr,popullar,populra,pouplar,ppopular,ppoular

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

oppular2popluar2poppular1popualr2popularr1popullar1populra2pouplar2
Edit distance from "popular"

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 "popular"?
"popular" is spelled P-O-P-U-L-A-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɒp.jʊ.lə/.
What does "popular" mean?
As an adjective, "popular" means: Common among the general public; generally accepted.
What words are commonly confused with "popular"?
"popular" is commonly confused with "populate", "popularly", "polar". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "popular"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "popular" is /ˈpɒp.jʊ.lə/. 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 "popular"?
From Middle English populer, from Old French populaire and Latin populāris, from populus (“people”) + -āris (“-ar”). 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 “popular”

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

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