cupboard
/ˈkʌb.əd/
"cupboard" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“cupboard” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,204 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #16,204
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A board or table used to openly hold and display silver plate and other dishware; a sideboard; a buffet.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | cupboard |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈkʌb.əd/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #16,204 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “cupboard” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for cupboard is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkʌb.əd/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,204 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for cupboard, with forms such as "ccupboard", "cpuboard", and "cubpoard". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "clipboard", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English cuppeborde, cupbord. Equivalent to cup + board. Phonetic variants show that the /p/ in the original forms had assimilated to the present-day /b/ by the 16th century; the etymological spelling has, however, dominated from the 18… The correct English form is cupboard, spelled C-U-P-B-O-A-R-D.
Definition
- 1A board or table used to openly hold and display silver plate and other dishware; a sideboard; a buffet.
- 2Things displayed on a sideboard; dishware, particularly valuable plate.
- 3A cabinet, closet, or other piece of furniture with shelves intended for storing cookware, dishware, or food; similar cabinets or closets used for storing other items.
- 4Things stored in a cupboard; particularly food.
- 5A closet for storing coats.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English cuppeborde, cupbord. Equivalent to cup + board. Phonetic variants show that the /p/ in the original forms had assimilated to the present-day /b/ by the 16th century; the etymological spelling has, however, dominated from the 18th century.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ccupboard,cpuboard,cubpoard,cupbaord,cupbboard,cupboadr,cupboardd,cupboarrd,cupborad,cupobard,cuppboard,ucpboard
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cupboard - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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
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Using “cupboard”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-U-P-B-O-A-R-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkʌb.əd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “clipboard” - see the side-by-side comparison. cupboard vs clipboard
- 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.