CSS

/siː ɛs ˈɛs/

//siː ɛs ˈɛs// noun

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

"css" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“CSS” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,676 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#16,676
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Initialism of change segment status, a GDS code used on older types of airline keyboards.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

CSS vs CT
33% similar
CSS vs CV
33% similar
CSS vs CU
33% similar

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

Key facts for CSS
PropertyValue
HeadwordCSS
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/siː ɛs ˈɛs/
Letters3
Frequency rank#16,676
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “CSS” 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). CSS 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 CSS is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /siː ɛs ˈɛs/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,676 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for CSS, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CT", "CV", "CU", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is CSS, spelled C-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Initialism of change segment status, a GDS code used on older types of airline keyboards.
  2. 2
    Initialism of Content Scramble System, a DRM and encryption system for DVDs.
  3. 3
    Initialism of Churg-Strauss syndrome.
  4. 4
    Initialism of Coffin-Siris syndrome.
  5. 5
    Initialism of Chinese surface-to-surface (missile), a NATO prefix-code for systems developed by the People's Republic of China.
  6. 6
    Initialism of Confederate States Ship (the designation for a commissioned warship operated by the Confederate States Navy).
  7. 7
    Initialism of Canadian Survey Ship (the designation for a survey ship operated by the Canadian Hydrographic Service).
  8. 8
    Initialism of cascading style sheet.
  9. 9
    Initialism of control stick steering, a method of Space Shuttle flight control.
  10. 10
    Initialism of critical swim speed.
  11. 11
    Initialism of chromosome substitution strain.

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 "CSS"?
"CSS" is spelled C-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /siː ɛs ˈɛs/.
What does "CSS" mean?
As a noun, "CSS" means: Initialism of change segment status, a GDS code used on older types of airline keyboards.
What words are commonly confused with "CSS"?
"CSS" is commonly confused with "CT", "CV", "CU". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "CSS"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "CSS" is /siː ɛs ˈɛs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "CSS" come from?
"CSS" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “CSS”

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

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