cumin

/ˈkjuːmɪn/

//ˈkjuːmɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cumin” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,504. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,504
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, in the family Apiaceae.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cumin · cumin · English

cumin · rank #28,504 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,504
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crusty

Nearest frequency peer: crusty (-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 “cumin”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “cumin” 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).

cumin vs cums
60% similar
cumin vs cutie
60% similar
cumin vs Cupid
40% similar

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

Key facts for cumin
PropertyValue
Headwordcumin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkjuːmɪn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#28,504
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “cumin”

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).cuminlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “crusty” (#28,503), “cutlery” (#28,505), “Dawes” (#28,506). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cumin” is #28,504. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around cumin (IPA /ˈkjuːmɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,504 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for cumin, with forms such as "ccumin", "cmuin", and "cuimn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cums", "cutie", "Cupid", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English comyn, from Old English cymen (which is cognate with Old High German kumin) and Old French cummin, both from Latin cuminum, from Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon), a Semitic borrowing ultimately to be traced to Akkadian 𒂵𒈬𒉡 (Ú.GAMUN /⁠k… The correct English form is cumin, spelled C-U-M-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, in the family Apiaceae.
  2. 2
    Its aromatic long seed, used as a spice, notably in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cookery.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Cumin is native to the region from the eastern Mediterranean to India.
  2. Cumin was often an ingredient of such love potions since it produced the effect of retention in whoever ate it.

Etymology

From Middle English comyn, from Old English cymen (which is cognate with Old High German kumin) and Old French cummin, both from Latin cuminum, from Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon), a Semitic borrowing ultimately to be traced to Akkadian 𒂵𒈬𒉡 (Ú.GAMUN /⁠kamūnu⁠/, “cumin”). Possibly related to caraway.

This word in other languages

comino(Español)cumin(Français)Kümmel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccumin
  • cmuin
  • cuimn
  • cuminn
  • cummin
  • cumni
  • ucmin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccumin1cmuin2cuimn2cuminn1cummin1cumni2ucmin2
Edit distance from "cumin"

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 "cumin"?
"cumin" is spelled C-U-M-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkjuːmɪn/.
What does "cumin" mean?
As a noun, "cumin" means: The flowering plant Cuminum cyminum, in the family Apiaceae.
What words are commonly confused with "cumin"?
"cumin" is commonly confused with "cums", "cutie", "Cupid". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cumin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cumin" is /ˈkjuːmɪn/. 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 "cumin"?
From Middle English comyn, from Old English cymen (which is cognate with Old High German kumin) and Old French cummin, both from Latin cuminum, from Ancient Greek κύμινον (kúminon), a Semitic borrowing ultimately to be traced to Akkadian 𒂵𒈬𒉡 (Ú... 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 "cumin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Dawes#28,506decal#28,507Cabot#28,475expat#28,540

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

DSLR7 variantsfecal7 variantsferret7 variantsfitter7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list