acerb
/əˈsɜːb/
"acerb" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“acerb” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as an adjective - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sour, bitter, and harsh to the taste, such as unripe fruit.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | acerb |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /əˈsɜːb/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “acerb” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for acerb is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈsɜːb/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
acerb has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin acerbus, from Latin ācer (“sharp”): compare French acerbe. See acrid. The correct English form is acerb, spelled A-C-E-R-B.
Definition
- 1Sour, bitter, and harsh to the taste, such as unripe fruit.
- 2Sharp and harsh in expressing oneself.
Etymology
From Latin acerbus, from Latin ācer (“sharp”): compare French acerbe. See acrid.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “acerb”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-C-E-R-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /əˈsɜːb/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.