abuse

/əˈbjuːs/

//əˈbjuːs// noun

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

"abuse" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“abuse” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,190. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,190
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.

Corpus desk

Index EN-abuse · abuse · English

abuse · rank #2,190 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,190
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH ya

Nearest frequency peer: ya (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “abuse”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “abuse” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

abuse vs arse
60% similar
abuse vs anus
60% similar
abuse vs Aust
40% similar

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

Key facts for abuse
PropertyValue
Headwordabuse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/əˈbjuːs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,190
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “abuse”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).abuselands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ya” (#2,189), “angry” (#2,191), “Williams” (#2,188). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “abuse” is #2,190. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around abuse (IPA /əˈbjuːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,190 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for abuse, with forms such as "abbuse", "absue", and "abues". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "arse", "anus", "Aust", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English abusen, then from either Old French abus (“improper use”), or from Latin abūsus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of abūtor (“make improper use of, consume, abuse”), from ab (“away”) + ūtor (“to use”). Equivalent to ab- + … The correct English form is abuse, spelled A-B-U-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
  2. 2
    Misuse; improper use; perversion.
  3. 3
    A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.
  4. 4
    Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.
  5. 5
    Catachresis.
  6. 6
    Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.
  7. 7
    Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how abuse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. human rights abuses
  2. All abuse, whether physical, verbal, psychological or sexual, is bad.

Etymology

From Middle English abusen, then from either Old French abus (“improper use”), or from Latin abūsus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of abūtor (“make improper use of, consume, abuse”), from ab (“away”) + ūtor (“to use”). Equivalent to ab- + use.

This word in other languages

abuso(Español)abus(Français)Missbrauch(Deutsch)abuso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • abbuse
  • absue
  • abues
  • abusse
  • aubse
  • bause

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of abuse - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

abbuse1absue2abues2abusse1aubse2bause2
Edit distance from "abuse"

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

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "abuse"?
"abuse" is spelled A-B-U-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈbjuːs/.
What does "abuse" mean?
As a noun, "abuse" means: Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
What words are commonly confused with "abuse"?
"abuse" is commonly confused with "arse", "anus", "Aust". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "abuse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "abuse" is /əˈbjuːs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "abuse"?
From Middle English abusen, then from either Old French abus (“improper use”), or from Latin abūsus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of abūtor (“make improper use of, consume, abuse”), from ab (“away”) + ūtor (“to use”). Equivalent... See the full etymology section above for more details.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "abuse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

angry#2,191tests#2,185teach#2,183squad#2,182

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

route6 variantsguns6 variantslegs6 variantsmilk6 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list