curb
/kɝb/
"curb" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“curb” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,728. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #9,728
- frequency rank, English
- 5,599
- “C” headwords
- 6
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand).
Corpus desk
Index EN-curb · curb · English
curb · rank #9,728 · 6 variants · 20 confusables
- FREQ-COMMON #9,728
- LEN-MID 4 letters
- VOW-1 1 vowel
- CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
- VAR-MID 6 variants
- BOOK-DENSE 5,599
- PHOTO-FINISH cp
Nearest frequency peer: cp (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “curb”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- copied
copied
90,276 corpus weight
- counselor
counselor
90,275 corpus weight
- cp
cp
90,274 corpus weight
- curb
curb
90,273 corpus weight
- dances
dances
90,272 corpus weight
- Darren
Darren
90,271 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “curb” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | curb |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /kɝb/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #9,728 |
| Misspellings tracked | 6 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “curb” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 6 spelling variants around curb (IPA /kɝb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,728 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for curb, with forms such as "ccurb", "crub", and "cubr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cut", "cuz", "cute", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French courbe (“curve, curved object”), from Latin curvus (“bent, crooked, curved”). Doublet of curve. The correct English form is curb, spelled C-U-R-B.
Definition
- 1A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand).
- 2A raised margin along the edge of something, such as a well or the eye of a dome, as a strengthening.
- 3Something that checks or restrains; a restraint.
- 4A riding or driving bit for a horse that has rein action which amplifies the pressure in the mouth by leverage advantage placing pressure on the poll via the crown piece of the bridle and chin groove via a curb chain.
- 5A sidewalk, covered or partially enclosed, bordering the airport terminal road system with adjacent paved areas to permit vehicles to off-load or load passengers.
- 6A swelling on the back part of the hind leg of a horse, just behind the lowest part of the hock joint, generally causing lameness.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how curb appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Even by theſe Men, Religion, that ſhould be / The curb, is made the ſpur to tyranny: / They with their double key of conſcience bind / The Subjects ſouls, and leave Kings unconfin'd; […]
The same also is that burning mention’d by S. Paul, whereof mariage ought to be the remedy; the Flesh hath other naturall and easie curbs which are in the power of any temperate man..
Etymology
From Middle French courbe (“curve, curved object”), from Latin curvus (“bent, crooked, curved”). Doublet of curve.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ccurb
- crub
- cubr
- curbb
- currb
- ucrb
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of curb - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "curb"?
What does "curb" mean?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "curb", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "curb". Here's where to go from here.
- "curb" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "cut". View pair
- 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #9,728 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "C" letter cohort. C–Z browse
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.