couscous

/ˈkʊs.kʊs/

//ˈkʊs.kʊs// noun

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

"couscous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“couscous” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,996. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,996
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina.

Corpus desk

Index EN-couscous · couscous · English

couscous · rank #46,996 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #46,996
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH costal

Nearest frequency peer: costal (-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 “couscous”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “couscous” 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).

couscous vs conscious
78% similar

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

Key facts for couscous
PropertyValue
Headwordcouscous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʊs.kʊs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#46,996
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “couscous”

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).couscouslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “costal” (#46,995), “Crassus” (#46,997), “convalescent” (#46,994). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “couscous” is #46,996. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around couscous (IPA /ˈkʊs.kʊs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #46,996 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for couscous, with forms such as "ccouscous", "cosucous", and "coucsous". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "conscious", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French couscous, from Arabic كُسْكُس (kuskus), from a Berber language. First use appears c. 1593. The correct English form is couscous, spelled C-O-U-S-C-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Karou took the plate of couscous and vegetables.

Etymology

Borrowed from French couscous, from Arabic كُسْكُس (kuskus), from a Berber language. First use appears c. 1593.

This word in other languages

cuscús(Español)couscous(Français)Couscous(Deutsch)cuscuz(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccouscous
  • cosucous
  • coucsous
  • cousccous
  • couscosu
  • couscouss
  • couscuos
  • cousocus
  • cousscous
  • cuoscous
  • ocuscous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of couscous - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ccouscous1cosucous2coucsous2cousccous1couscosu2couscouss1couscuos2cousocus2
Edit distance from "couscous"

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 "couscous"?
"couscous" is spelled C-O-U-S-C-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʊs.kʊs/.
What does "couscous" mean?
As a noun, "couscous" means: A pasta of North African origin made of crushed and steamed semolina.
What words are commonly confused with "couscous"?
"couscous" is commonly confused with "conscious". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "couscous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "couscous" is /ˈkʊs.kʊs/. 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 "couscous"?
Borrowed from French couscous, from Arabic كُسْكُس (kuskus), from a Berber language. First use appears c. 1593. 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 "couscous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Crompton#47,001codename#46,988dabbling#47,005clumsily#46,986

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

dirtbag11 variantsfoxtrot11 variantsamniotic11 variantsheckler11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list