subpopulation

noun

"subpopulation" is a 13-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“subpopulation” is uncommon English (frequency #91,038 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,038
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A subdivision of a population.

Key facts for subpopulation
PropertyValue
Headwordsubpopulation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters13
Frequency rank#91,038
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “subpopulation” 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). subpopulation lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

subpopulation is uncommon English at frequency #91,038 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A subdivision of a population.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for subpopulation, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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: From sub- + population. The correct English form is subpopulation, spelled S-U-B-P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A subdivision of a population.

Etymology

From sub- + 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 "subpopulation"?
"subpopulation" is spelled S-U-B-P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.
What does "subpopulation" mean?
As a noun, "subpopulation" means: A subdivision of a population.
What is the origin of the word "subpopulation"?
From sub- + population. 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 “subpopulation”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-B-P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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