buttercup

/ˈbʌt.ə.kʌp/

//ˈbʌt.ə.kʌp// noun

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

"buttercup" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“buttercup” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,360. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,360
frequency rank, English
4,121
“B” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of many herbs, of the genus Ranunculus, having yellow flowers; the crowfoot.

Corpus desk

Index EN-buttercup · buttercup · English

buttercup · rank #37,360 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #37,360
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,121
  • PHOTO-FINISH bute

Nearest frequency peer: bute (-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 “buttercup”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “buttercup” 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).

buttercup vs butternut
78% similar

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

Key facts for buttercup
PropertyValue
Headwordbuttercup
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈbʌt.ə.kʌp/
Letters9
Frequency rank#37,360
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “buttercup”

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).buttercuplands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “bute” (#37,359), “busses” (#37,358), “calibrate” (#37,362). Among 4,121 “B” headwords, “buttercup” is #37,360. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around buttercup (IPA /ˈbʌt.ə.kʌp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #37,360 among 4,121 “B” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for buttercup, with forms such as "bbuttercup", "btutercup", and "butercup". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "butternut", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From butter + cup. Both sense 1 and 2 are from the flowers' association with butter, from their yellow colour. Compare butterflower for a similar derivation; outside of English, compare Dutch boterbloem, German Butterblume. The correct English form is buttercup, spelled B-U-T-T-E-R-C-U-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of many herbs, of the genus Ranunculus, having yellow flowers; the crowfoot.
  2. 2
    Any flower of the genus Narcissus; a daffodil.
  3. 3
    Ellipsis of buttercup squash.
  4. 4
    Affectionate or ironic term of address.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When she touched my hand, what a chill I got Her lips are like a volcano that's hot I'm proud to say that she's my buttercup. I'm in love - I'm all shook up.
  2. Listen, buttercup, you're damned good in bed. They don't come any better, but I'm really not interested in playing second fiddle to your camera or your young lovers.

Etymology

From butter + cup. Both sense 1 and 2 are from the flowers' association with butter, from their yellow colour. Compare butterflower for a similar derivation; outside of English, compare Dutch boterbloem, German Butterblume.

Synonyms

ranunculuscrowfoot

This word in other languages

ranúnculo(Español)bouton-d'or(Français)Hahnenfuß(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bbuttercup
  • btutercup
  • butercup
  • butetrcup
  • buttecrup
  • butterccup
  • buttercpu
  • buttercupp
  • butterrcup
  • butterucp
  • buttrecup
  • ubttercup

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of buttercup - 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.

bbuttercup1btutercup2butercup1butetrcup2buttecrup2butterccup1buttercpu2buttercupp1
Edit distance from "buttercup"

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 "buttercup"?
"buttercup" is spelled B-U-T-T-E-R-C-U-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈbʌt.ə.kʌp/.
What does "buttercup" mean?
As a noun, "buttercup" means: Any of many herbs, of the genus Ranunculus, having yellow flowers; the crowfoot.
What words are commonly confused with "buttercup"?
"buttercup" is commonly confused with "butternut". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "buttercup"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "buttercup" is /ˈbʌt.ə.kʌp/. 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 "buttercup"?
From butter + cup. Both sense 1 and 2 are from the flowers' association with butter, from their yellow colour. Compare butterflower for a similar derivation; outside of English, compare Dutch boterbloem, German Butterblume. 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 "buttercup", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

calibrate#37,362buckwheat#37,356Cartagena#37,368cataracts#37,369

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

Citibank12 variantsauthorise12 variantsCosgrove12 variantsAlcatraz12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list