population

/ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/

//ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən// noun

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

"population" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“population” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,056. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,056
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The people living within a political or geographical boundary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-population · population · English

population · rank #1,056 · 15 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,056
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH plans

Nearest frequency peer: plans (-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 “population”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “population” 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
Key facts for population
PropertyValue
Headwordpopulation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/
Letters10
Frequency rank#1,056
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “population”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).populationlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “plans” (#1,055), “potential” (#1,057), “normal” (#1,054). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “population” is #1,056. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around population (IPA /ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,056 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for population, with forms such as "oppulation", "popluation", and "poppulation". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin populatio (“a people, multitude”), as if a noun of action from Classical Latin populus, equivalent to populate + -ion. Doublet of poblacion. The correct English form is population, spelled P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The people living within a political or geographical boundary.
  2. 2
    The people with a given characteristic.
  3. 3
    A count of the number of residents within a political or geographical boundary such as a town, a nation or the world.
  4. 4
    A count of the number of residents within a political or geographical boundary such as a town, a nation or the world.
  5. 5
    A collection of organisms of a particular species, sharing a particular characteristic of interest, most often that of living in a given area.
  6. 6
    A group of units (persons, objects, or other items) enumerated in a census or from which a sample is drawn.
  7. 7
    The act of filling initially empty items in a collection.
  8. 8
    General population.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The population of New Jersey will not stand for this!
  2. “Panicology” considers the evidence on both sides of a large number of worries that have beset the industrialized world in modern times, including the “population crisis” (now one of underpopulation that threatens the wealth and health of aging populations in countries like Italy and Russia)[…]

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin populatio (“a people, multitude”), as if a noun of action from Classical Latin populus, equivalent to populate + -ion. Doublet of poblacion.

This word in other languages

población(Español)population(Français)Bevölkerung(Deutsch)população(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • oppulation
  • popluation
  • poppulation
  • popualtion
  • populaiton
  • populasion
  • populatino
  • populationn
  • populatoin
  • populattion
  • popullation
  • popultaion
  • pouplation
  • ppopulation
  • ppoulation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of population - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

oppulation2popluation2poppulation1popualtion2populaiton2populasion1populatino2populationn1
Edit distance from "population"

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 "population"?
"population" is spelled P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/.
What does "population" mean?
As a noun, "population" means: The people living within a political or geographical boundary.
What are common misspellings of "population"?
Common misspellings include "oppulation", "popluation", "poppulation", "popualtion", "populaiton". The correct spelling is "population".
How do you pronounce "population"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "population" is /ˌpɒp.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/. 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 "population"?
Borrowed from Late Latin populatio (“a people, multitude”), as if a noun of action from Classical Latin populus, equivalent to populate + -ion. Doublet of poblacion. 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 "population", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

difference#1,048conference#1,047California#1,067completely#1,070

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

particular15 variantsthroughout15 variantsabsolutely15 variantsconditions15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list