cube

/kjuːb/

//kjuːb// noun

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

"cube" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cube” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,312. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,312
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A regular polyhedron having six identical square faces.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cube · cube · English

cube · rank #9,312 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,312
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dana

Nearest frequency peer: Dana (+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 “cube”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cube” 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).

cube vs cut
50% similar
cube vs cup
50% similar
cube vs cum
50% similar

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

Key facts for cube
PropertyValue
Headwordcube
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kjuːb/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,312
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cube”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).cubelands 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 “Dana” (#9,313), “coordinate” (#9,310), “declaring” (#9,314). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cube” is #9,312. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around cube (IPA /kjuːb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,312 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for cube, with forms such as "cbue", "ccube", and "cubbe". 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, "cut", "cup", "cum", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French cube, from Latin cubus, from Ancient Greek κύβος (kúbos). The correct English form is cube, spelled C-U-B-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A regular polyhedron having six identical square faces.
  2. 2
    Any object more or less in the form of a cube.
  3. 3
    The third power of a number, value, term or expression.
  4. 4
    A data structure consisting of a three-dimensional array; a data cube.
  5. 5
    A Rubik's cube style puzzle, not necessarily in the shape of a cube.
  6. 6
    Clipping of cubic inch(es).
  7. 7
    An extremely socially conventional or conservative person, moreso than even a square.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When the math teacher is teaching the class about cubes, he asks them to imagine a cardboard box whose width, length, and height are all the same.
  2. A: One cube or two? B: Oh, no sugar for me, thanks.

Etymology

From Old French cube, from Latin cubus, from Ancient Greek κύβος (kúbos).

Synonyms

regular hexahedronblockbrickdiesquare blockthird power

This word in other languages

cubo(Español)cube(Français)Kubus(Deutsch)cubo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cbue
  • ccube
  • cubbe
  • cueb
  • ucbe

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

cbue2ccube1cubbe1cueb2ucbe2
Edit distance from "cube"

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 "cube"?
"cube" is spelled C-U-B-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kjuːb/.
What does "cube" mean?
As a noun, "cube" means: A regular polyhedron having six identical square faces.
What words are commonly confused with "cube"?
"cube" is commonly confused with "cut", "cup", "cum". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cube"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cube" is /kjuːb/. 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 "cube"?
From Old French cube, from Latin cubus, from Ancient Greek κύβος (kúbos). 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 "cube", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Dana#9,313Eden#9,325bats#9,286guru#9,340

Similar misspelling depth

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

zoom5 variantslace5 variantssage5 variantspier5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list