pupil
pu·pil/ˈpjuːpəl/noun
pupil is spelled P-U-P-I-L: 5 letters and 2 syllables (pu·pil). It appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, pupil means “A learner at a school under the supervision of a teacher” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of pupil is pupils.
How many letters and syllables are in pupil?
| Letters | 5: P-U-P-I-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pu·pil |
| In writing | 6.5 times per million words; the 9,463rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Sounds like |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is pupil?
Pupil appears 6.5 times per million words in written English, the 9,463rd 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 pupil?
- /ˈpjuːpəl/
- /ˈpj̥uːpəɫ/
Pupil has 2 syllables, split pu·pil in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-pupil.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with pupil
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sounds like: pupal (Wiktionary's homophone list; some hold only in some accents).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of pupil
- pupils plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does pupil mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A learner at a school under the supervision of a teacher.
The Pupil after his Pupillarity, had granted a Diſcharge to one of the Co-tutors, which did extinguiſh the whole Debt of that Co-tutor, and conſequently of all the reſt, they being all correi debendi, lyable by one individual Obligation, wh
- 2
One who studies under supervision of a renowned expert in their field.
Plato was Socrates' pupil, and in turn Aristotle was Plato's pupil.
- 3
obsoleteAn orphan who is a minor and under the protection of the state.
- 4
The hole in the middle of the iris of the eye, through which light passes to be focused on the retina.
- 5
The central dark part of an ocellated spot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Pupil in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | élève , pupille , prunelle |
| German | Schüler, Schülerin, Schulkind , Pupille, Sehloch, das Schwarze im Auge |
| Portuguese | aluno, aluna, pupilo, pupila , menina, menina do olho |
| Spanish | alumno, alumna, pupilo , pupila, niñeta |
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 pupil come from?
From Middle English pupille, from Anglo-Norman pupille (“orphan”), from Latin pūpillus (“orphan, minor”), variant of pūpulus (“little boy”), from pūpus (“child, boy”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).