Key facts for popular
Property	Value
Headword	popular
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈpɒp.jʊ.lə/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#912
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	5
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “parts” (#911), “published” (#913), “paper” (#910). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “popular” is #912. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around popular (IPA /ˈpɒp.jʊ.lə/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #912 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

Contrary to popular misconception, MacArthur Park is not the worst song ever written.
Recent evidence demonstrates that caffeine addiction is becoming popular worldwide.

Etymology

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

Antonyms

anonymous unpopular

This word in other languages

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.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "popular", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

systems#916 version#917 writing#920 changed#897

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

simply10 variants waiting10 variants created10 variants followed10 variants

popular

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “popular”

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “popular”