Which to use
“curses” is an intj and “cuss” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #21,484
- “curses” frequency rank
- #35,674
- “cuss” frequency rank
- 57158
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | curses | cuss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Expression of annoyance or frustration. | To use cursing, to use bad language, to speak profanely. |
Where the eye mixes curses and cuss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: curses vs cuss
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: curses is /ˈkɝsɪz/ while cuss is /kʌs/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57158, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
curses is recorded at frequency rank #21,484, classified as anintj, pronounced /ˈkɝsɪz/. cuss is at rank #35,674, tagged as averb, pronounced /kʌs/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 57158, this pair ranks #121,216 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of curses vs cuss
Shared letters: csu. Private to "curses": er. Private to "cuss": -.
"curses" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "cuss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "curses" and "cuss" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "curses" or "cuss" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "curses" and "cuss" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "curses" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cuss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #121,216 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "curses" and "cuss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cuny vs cuss". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #121,216 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.