cure

/kjɔː(r)/

//kjɔː(r)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“cure” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,149. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,149
frequency rank, English
43,570
“C” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A method, device or medication that restores good health.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cure · cure · English

cure · rank #4,149 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,149
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 43,570
  • PHOTO-FINISH courage

Nearest frequency peer: courage (-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 “cure”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “cure” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

cure vs cut
50% similar
cure vs cuz
50% similar
cure vs cute
75% similar

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

Key facts for cure
PropertyValue
Headwordcure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/kjɔː(r)/
Letters4
Frequency rank#4,149
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cure” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). cure lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around cure (IPA /kjɔː(r)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,149 among 43,570 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for cure, with forms such as "ccure", "crue", and "cuer". 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, "cut", "cuz", "cute", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English cure, borrowed from Old French cure (“care, cure, healing, cure of souls”), from Latin cura (“care, medical attendance, cure”). Displaced native Old English hǣlu, but survived as heal. The correct English form is cure, spelled C-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A method, device or medication that restores good health.
  2. 2
    An act of healing or state of being healed; restoration to health after a disease, or to soundness after injury.
  3. 3
    A solution to a problem.
  4. 4
    A process of preservation, as by smoking.
  5. 5
    Cured fish.
  6. 6
    A process of solidification or gelling.
  7. 7
    A process whereby a material is caused to form permanent molecular linkages by exposure to chemicals, heat, pressure or weathering.
  8. 8
    Care, heed, or attention.
  9. 9
    Spiritual charge; care of soul; the office of a parish priest or of a curate.
  10. 10
    That which is committed to the charge of a parish priest or of a curate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. When you're well enough off so's you don't have to fret about anything but your heft or your diseases you begin to get queer, I suppose. And the queerer the cure for those ailings the bigger the attraction. A place like the Right Livers' Rest was bound to draw freaks, same as molasses draws flies.
  2. 'Cause if there's a cure for this, I don't want it / I don't want it

Etymology

From Middle English cure, borrowed from Old French cure (“care, cure, healing, cure of souls”), from Latin cura (“care, medical attendance, cure”). Displaced native Old English hǣlu, but survived as heal.

This word in other languages

cura(Español)traitement(Français)Heilung(Deutsch)cura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccure
  • crue
  • cuer
  • curre
  • ucre

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of cure - 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.

ccure1crue2cuer2curre1ucre2
Edit distance from "cure"

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 May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cure"?
"cure" is spelled C-U-R-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kjɔː(r)/.
What does "cure" mean?
As a noun, "cure" means: A method, device or medication that restores good health.
What words are commonly confused with "cure"?
"cure" is commonly confused with "cut", "cuz", "cute". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cure"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cure" is /kjɔː(r)/. 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 "cure"?
From Middle English cure, borrowed from Old French cure (“care, cure, healing, cure of souls”), from Latin cura (“care, medical attendance, cure”). Displaced native Old English hǣlu, but survived as heal. 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 "cure", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

bang#4,139Anne#4,136trap#4,130teen#4,127

Similar misspelling depth

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

knee5 variantsbite5 variantstail5 variantsroots5 variants
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list