cubit

/ˈkjuː.bɪt/

//ˈkjuː.bɪt// noun

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

The verdict

“cubit” is uncommon English (frequency #87,175 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#87,175
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger used as an informal unit of length.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cubit · cubit · English

cubit · rank #87,175 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #87,175
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Cubano

Nearest frequency peer: Cubano (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “cubit”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “cubit” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for cubit
PropertyValue
Headwordcubit
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkjuː.bɪt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#87,175
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cubit” in English

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).cubitfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Cubano” (#87,174), “cryopreservation” (#87,173), “cully” (#87,179). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cubit” is #87,175. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cubit is uncommon English at frequency #87,175 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkjuː.bɪt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

cubit has no tracked misspelling variants, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cubite, from Latin cubitum (“elbow, cubit”). Doublet of cubitus, covado, and codo. The correct English form is cubit, spelled C-U-B-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger used as an informal unit of length.
  2. 2
    Any of various units of length approximating this distance, usually around 35–60 cm.
  3. 3
    Synonym of ulna, the bone of the human forearm.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Etymology

From Middle English cubite, from Latin cubitum (“elbow, cubit”). Doublet of cubitus, covado, and codo.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

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 "cubit"?
"cubit" is spelled C-U-B-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkjuː.bɪt/.
What does "cubit" mean?
As a noun, "cubit" means: The distance from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger used as an informal unit of length.
How do you pronounce "cubit"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cubit" is /ˈkjuː.bɪt/. 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 "cubit"?
From Middle English cubite, from Latin cubitum (“elbow, cubit”). Doublet of cubitus, covado, and codo. 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 "cubit", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list