couch

/kaʊt͡ʃ/

//kaʊt͡ʃ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“couch” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,407 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,407
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

couch vs coup
60% similar
couch vs cour
60% similar
couch vs cuck
60% similar

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

Key facts for couch
PropertyValue
Headwordcouch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kaʊt͡ʃ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#5,407
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “couch” 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). couch 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 couch is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kaʊt͡ʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,407 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for couch, with forms such as "ccouch", "cocuh", and "coucch". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "coup", "cour", "cuck", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English couche, cowche, from Old French couche, from the verb (see below). Doublet of cwtch. The correct English form is couch, spelled C-O-U-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa.
  2. 2
    A bed, a resting-place.
  3. 3
    The den of an otter.
  4. 4
    A preliminary layer, as of colour or size.
  5. 5
    A mass of steeped barley spread upon a floor to germinate, in malting; or the floor occupied by the barley.
  6. 6
    Psychotherapy.
  7. 7
    Voters who opt out of voting, usually by staying home on their couch.

Etymology

From Middle English couche, cowche, from Old French couche, from the verb (see below). Doublet of cwtch.

Synonyms

davenportdivansetteesofa

This word in other languages

sofá(Español)sofa(Français)Sofa(Deutsch)sofá(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ccouch,cocuh,coucch,couchh,couhc,cuoch,ocuch

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccouch1cocuh2coucch1couchh1couhc2cuoch2ocuch2
Edit distance from "couch"

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 "couch"?
"couch" is spelled C-O-U-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /kaʊt͡ʃ/.
What does "couch" mean?
As a noun, "couch" means: An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa.
What words are commonly confused with "couch"?
"couch" is commonly confused with "coup", "cour", "cuck". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "couch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "couch" is /kaʊt͡ʃ/. 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 "couch"?
From Middle English couche, cowche, from Old French couche, from the verb (see below). Doublet of cwtch. 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 “couch”

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

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