population

\pɔ.py.la.sjɔ̃\

/\pɔ.py.la.sjɔ̃\/ noun

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

The verdict

“population” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #545 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#545
frequency rank, French
10
letters
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Ensemble d’habitants vivant dans un pays ou un lieu.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

population vs populations
91% similar

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

Key facts for population
PropertyValue
Headwordpopulation
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\pɔ.py.la.sjɔ̃\
Letters10
Frequency rank#545
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “population” sits in French 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). population 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 French entry for population is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \pɔ.py.la.sjɔ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #545 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for population, with forms such as "oppulation", "popluation", and "poppulation". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "populations", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is population, spelled P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Ensemble d’habitants vivant dans un pays ou un lieu.
  2. 2
    Ensemble d’individus formant une catégorie particulière dans un pays.
  3. 3
    Groupe d’organismes appartenant à la même espèce dans une région et à un moment déterminé.
  4. 4
    Ensemble fini d’entités (appelées « individus ») ayant une ou plusieurs caractéristiques communes, sur lequel porte une étude statistique.
  5. 5
    Fait de peupler, peuplement.
  6. 6
    Ensemble de données mathématiques.
  7. 7
    Effectif d’une population au sens d’un ensemble d’habitants.

Synonyms

groupepeuplehabitant

This word in other languages

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

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: oppulation,popluation,poppulation,popualtion,populaiton,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.

oppulation2popluation2poppulation1popualtion2populaiton2populatino2populationn1populatoin2
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 French 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 \pɔ.py.la.sjɔ̃\.
What does "population" mean?
As a noun, "population" means: Ensemble d’habitants vivant dans un pays ou un lieu.
What words are commonly confused with "population"?
"population" is commonly confused with "populations". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "population"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "population" is \pɔ.py.la.sjɔ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "population" come from?
"population" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “population”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is P-O-P-U-L-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \pɔ.py.la.sjɔ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “populations” - see the side-by-side comparison. population vs populations
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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