confuse
/kənˈfjuz/verb
confuse is spelled C-O-N-F-U-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, confuse means “To puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in confuse?
| Letters | 7: C-O-N-F-U-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 4.7 times per million words; the 11,685th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is confuse?
Confuse appears 4.7 times per million words in written English, the 11,685th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce confuse?
- UK /kənˈfjuːz/
- US /kənˈfjuz/
- Australia /kənˈfjʉːz/
Confuse has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-confuse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with confuse?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as confuse from its last stressed vowel (/uz/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of confuse
- confuses present, singular, he/she/it
- confusing participle, present
- confused participle, past
- more confuse comparative
- most confuse superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does confuse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand.
It confused me when I went to the office and nobody was there, but then I realised it was Sunday.
- 2
To mix up, muddle up (one thing with another); to mistake (one thing for another).
People who say "hola" to Italians are confusing Italian with Spanish.
- 3
To mix thoroughly; to confound; to disorder.
The dense fog utterly confused traffic on the highway.
- 4
datedTo make uneasy and ashamed; to embarrass.
- 5
obsoleteTo rout; discomfit.
- 6
To be confused.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteSynonym of confused.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Confuse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rendre perplexe, confondre, confuser, confusionner |
| German | verwirren, konfundieren , verwechseln , vermischen , jemanden in Verlegenheit f bringen |
| Portuguese | confundir , misturar , envergonhar |
| Spanish | confundir, barahustar, barajustar, baraustar , confusionar |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does confuse come from?
Back-formation from confused, from Middle English confused (“frustrated, ruined”), from Anglo-Norman confus, from Latin cōnfūsus, past participle of cōnfundō.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).