Which to use
“cusp” is a noun and “cuss” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #27,112
- “cusp” frequency rank
- #35,674
- “cuss” frequency rank
- 62786
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cusp | cuss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A sharp point or pointed end. | To use cursing, to use bad language, to speak profanely. |
Where the eye mixes cusp and cuss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: cusp vs cuss
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: cusp is /kʌsp/ while cuss is /kʌs/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - p in “cusp” becomes s in “cuss”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 62786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cusp is recorded at frequency rank #27,112, classified as anoun, pronounced /kʌsp/. 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 62786, this pair ranks #86,543 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of cusp vs cuss
Shared letters: csu. Private to "cusp": p. Private to "cuss": -.
"cusp" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "cuss" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "cusp" for "cuss" ever safe?
Frequency check: "cusp" vs "cuss" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cusp" 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 #86,543 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cusp" 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 #86,543 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.