costume

Name: costume, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈkɒs.tjuːm/

//ˈkɒs.tjuːm// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“costume” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,315 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,315
frequency rank, English: 7
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

costume vs couture

71% similar

costume vs costumed

88% similar

costume vs consume

71% similar

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

Key facts for costume
Property	Value
Headword	costume
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈkɒs.tjuːm/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#5,315
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	3
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “costume” 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). costume lands here:

#5,315

#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 costume is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɒs.tjuːm/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,315 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for costume, with forms such as "ccostume", "cosstume", and "costmue". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "couture", "costumed", "consume", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French costume, from Italian costume, from Latin consuētūdō (“custom, habit”). Doublet of consuetude, custom, and kastom. Verb circa 1802, perhaps modelled on French costumer. The correct English form is costume, spelled C-O-S-T-U-M-E.

Definition

1
A style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people.
2
An outfit or a disguise worn as fancy dress etc.
3
A set of clothes appropriate for a particular occasion or season.
4
A swimming costume.

Etymology

Borrowed from French costume, from Italian costume, from Latin consuētūdō (“custom, habit”). Doublet of consuetude, custom, and kastom. Verb circa 1802, perhaps modelled on French costumer.

Synonyms

getup outfit

This word in other languages

traje(Español)costume(Français)Kostüm(Deutsch)traje(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccostume,cosstume,costmue,costtume,costuem,costumme,cosutme,cotsume,csotume,ocstume

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of costume - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "costume"

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 "costume"?

"costume" is spelled C-O-S-T-U-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒs.tjuːm/.

What does "costume" mean?

As a noun, "costume" means: A style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people.

What words are commonly confused with "costume"?

"costume" is commonly confused with "couture", "costumed", "consume". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "costume"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "costume" is /ˈkɒs.tjuːm/. 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 "costume"?

Borrowed from French costume, from Italian costume, from Latin consuētūdō (“custom, habit”). Doublet of consuetude, custom, and kastom. Verb circa 1802, perhaps modelled on French costumer. 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 “costume”

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

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