couth
/kuθ/adjective, noun
couth is spelled C-O-U-T-H: 5 letters. It appears about once in every 35 million words in written English, the 180,281st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, couth means “Agreeable, friendly, pleasant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in couth?
| Letters | 5: C-O-U-T-H |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 35 million words; the 180,281st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 couth?
Couth appears about once in every 35 million words in written English, the 180,281st 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 couth?
- UK /kuːθ/
- British /kʉwθ/
- US /kuθ/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-couth.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with couth?
8 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as couth from its last stressed vowel (/uθ/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: touch, chout.
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 couth
- more couth comparative
- most couth superlative
- couths plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does couth mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
obsoleteFamiliar, known; well-known, renowned.
- 2
ScotlandAgreeable, friendly, pleasant.
- 3
ScotlandComfortable; cosy, snug.
- 4
Marked by or possessing a high degree of sophistication; cultured, refined.
noun
- 1
Social grace, refinement, sophistication; etiquette, manners.
That man has no couth.
- 2
rareA person with social graces; a refined or sophisticated person.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Couth in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | raffiné, sophistiqué , raffinement, sophistication |
| Spanish | sofisticado, refinado |
| German | gute Umgangsformen, Manieren |
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 couth come from?
From Middle English couth (“familiar, known; evident, true; famous, respected, well-known; genteel, having good manners”), from Old English cūþ (“familiar, intimate, known, usual; certain, plain, manifest; famous, noted, well-known; excellent; friendly; related”), past participle of cunnan (“to be familiar with, know; can, to be able, know how”), from Proto-Germanic *kunnaną (“to be familiar with, know, recognize; to be able, know how”) (compare *kunþaz (“known”)), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).