acute

/əˈkjuːt/

//əˈkjuːt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“acute” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,091 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#7,091
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Brief, quick, short.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

acute vs ate
60% similar
acute vs auto
60% similar
acute vs ante
60% similar

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

Key facts for acute
PropertyValue
Headwordacute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈkjuːt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,091
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “acute” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for acute is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /əˈkjuːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,091 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 12 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for acute, with forms such as "accute", "actue", and "acuet". 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, "ate", "auto", "ante", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Late Middle English acute (“of a disease or fever: starting suddenly and lasting for a short time; of a humour: irritating, sharp”), from Latin acūta, from acūtus (“sharp, sharpened”), perfect passive participle of acuō (“to make pointed, sharpen, whet… The correct English form is acute, spelled A-C-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Brief, quick, short.
  2. 2
    High or shrill.
  3. 3
    Intense; sensitive; sharp.
  4. 4
    Urgent.
  5. 5
    With the sides meeting directly to form an acute angle (at an apex or base).
  6. 6
    Less than 90 degrees.
  7. 7
    Having all three interior angles measuring less than 90 degrees.
  8. 8
    Of an accent or tone: generally higher than others.
  9. 9
    Sharp, produced in the front of the mouth. (See Grave and acute on Wikipedia.Wikipedia)
  10. 10
    Of an abnormal condition of recent or sudden onset, in contrast to delayed onset; this sense does not imply severity, unlike the common usage.
  11. 11
    Of a short-lived condition, in contrast to a chronic condition; this sense also does not imply severity.
  12. 12
    Of a letter of the alphabet, having an acute accent.

Etymology

From Late Middle English acute (“of a disease or fever: starting suddenly and lasting for a short time; of a humour: irritating, sharp”), from Latin acūta, from acūtus (“sharp, sharpened”), perfect passive participle of acuō (“to make pointed, sharpen, whet”), from acus (“needle, pin”). The word is cognate to ague (“acute, intermittent fever”). As regards the noun, which is derived from the verb, compare Middle English acūte (“severe but short-lived fever; of blood: corrosiveness, sharpness; musical note of high pitch”).

This word in other languages

agudo(Español)aigu(Français)scharf(Deutsch)agudo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: accute,actue,acuet,acutte,aucte,caute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of acute - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

accute1actue2acuet2acutte1aucte2caute2
Edit distance from "acute"

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 "acute"?
"acute" is spelled A-C-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkjuːt/.
What does "acute" mean?
As an adjective, "acute" means: Brief, quick, short.
What words are commonly confused with "acute"?
"acute" is commonly confused with "ate", "auto", "ante". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "acute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acute" is /əˈkjuːt/. 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 "acute"?
From Late Middle English acute (“of a disease or fever: starting suddenly and lasting for a short time; of a humour: irritating, sharp”), from Latin acūta, from acūtus (“sharp, sharpened”), perfect passive participle of acuō (“to make pointed, sha... 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.

Using “acute”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-C-U-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /əˈkjuːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “ate” - see the side-by-side comparison. acute vs ate
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list