CSU

Name: CSU, German Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

[tseːʔɛsˈʔuː]

/[tseːʔɛsˈʔuː]/ abbrev

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“CSU” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #1,348 in German word frequency and used as an abbreviation.

#1,348
frequency rank, German: 3
letters: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Kurzwort für Christlich-Soziale Union (in Bayern (e. V.))

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

CSU vs CT

33% similar

CSU vs cu

0% similar

CSU vs cz

0% similar

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

Key facts for CSU
Property	Value
Headword	CSU
Language	German
Part of speech	Abbreviation
IPA	[tseːʔɛsˈʔuː]
Letters	3
Frequency rank	#1,348
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “CSU” sits in German 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). CSU lands here:

#1,348

#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 German entry for CSU is 3 letters long, classified as an abbreviation, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [tseːʔɛsˈʔuː]. Corpus data places it at rank #1,348 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Kurzwort für Christlich-Soziale Union (in Bayern (e. V.))".

No generated misspelling entries exist for CSU in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CT", "cu", "cz", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is CSU, spelled C-S-U.

Definition

1
Kurzwort für Christlich-Soziale Union (in Bayern (e. V.))

This word in other languages

CSU(Français)

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 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "CSU"?

"CSU" is spelled C-S-U. The IPA pronunciation is [tseːʔɛsˈʔuː].

What does "CSU" mean?

As an abbreviation, "CSU" means: Kurzwort für Christlich-Soziale Union (in Bayern (e. V.))

What words are commonly confused with "CSU"?

"CSU" is commonly confused with "CT", "cu", "cz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "CSU"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "CSU" is [tseːʔɛsˈʔuː]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.

What language does "CSU" come from?

"CSU" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.

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 “CSU”

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

The one correct German spelling is C-S-U - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as [tseːʔɛsˈʔuː] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “CT” - see the side-by-side comparison. CSU vs CT
Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German 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.