accustom

/əˈkʌs.təm/

//əˈkʌs.təm// verb

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

"accustom" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“accustom” is uncommon English (frequency #88,027 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#88,027
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To make familiar by use; to cause to accept; to habituate, familiarize, or inure.

Corpus desk

Index EN-accustom · accustom · English

accustom · rank #88,027 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #88,027
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH actualize

Nearest frequency peer: actualize (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “accustom”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “accustom” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for accustom
PropertyValue
Headwordaccustom
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/əˈkʌs.təm/
Letters8
Frequency rank#88,027
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “accustom” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).accustomfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “actualize” (#88,029), “adat” (#88,030), “agarose” (#88,031). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “accustom” is #88,027. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

accustom is uncommon English at frequency #88,027 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /əˈkʌs.təm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

accustom doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: The verb is from Middle English accustomen, from Old French acoustumer, acustumer (Modern French accoutumer) corresponding to a (“to, toward”) + custom. More at custom, costume. The noun is from Middle English acustom. The correct English form is accustom, spelled A-C-C-U-S-T-O-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    To make familiar by use; to cause to accept; to habituate, familiarize, or inure.
  2. 2
    To be wont.
  3. 3
    To cohabit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Early exposure to pet allergens and pet-related bacteria accustoms the body to allergens.
  2. I shall always fear that he who accustoms himself to fraud in little things, wants only opportunity to practice it in greater.

Etymology

The verb is from Middle English accustomen, from Old French acoustumer, acustumer (Modern French accoutumer) corresponding to a (“to, toward”) + custom. More at custom, costume. The noun is from Middle English acustom.

Synonyms

habituateget used toinureexercisetrainIntransitive:accommodateaccustomadaptadjustcompensateTransitive:seasonwont

This word in other languages

acostumbrarse(Español)accoutumer(Français)gewöhnen(Deutsch)acostumar(Português)

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 "accustom"?
"accustom" is spelled A-C-C-U-S-T-O-M. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkʌs.təm/.
What does "accustom" mean?
As a verb, "accustom" means: To make familiar by use; to cause to accept; to habituate, familiarize, or inure.
How do you pronounce "accustom"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "accustom" is /əˈkʌs.təm/. 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 "accustom"?
The verb is from Middle English accustomen, from Old French acoustumer, acustumer (Modern French accoutumer) corresponding to a (“to, toward”) + custom. More at custom, costume. The noun is from Middle English acustom. 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 "accustom", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

zaibatsu#88,011Aquarian#88,060Arminius#88,064badmouth#88,089

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list