Which to use
“gust” is a noun and “gusty” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,398
- “gust” frequency rank
- #47,664
- “gusty” frequency rank
- 73062
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gust | gusty |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A strong, abrupt rush of wind. | Of wind: blowing in gusts; blustery; tempestuous. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gust and gusty apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gust is /ɡʌst/ while gusty is /ˈɡʌs.ti/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “gust” sits inside “gusty”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73062, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gust is recorded at frequency rank #25,398, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɡʌst/. gusty is at rank #47,664, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈɡʌs.ti/.
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 73062, this pair ranks #40,858 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of gust vs gusty
Shared letters: gstu. Private to "gust": -. Private to "gusty": y.
"gust" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "gusty" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gust" and "gusty" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gust" or "gusty"?
Remembering gust vs gusty
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “gust”; for an adjective, it's “gusty”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gust” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable