cusp
/kʌsp/noun, verb
cusp is spelled C-U-S-P: 4 letters and one syllable. It appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, cusp means “A sharp point or pointed end” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of cusp is cusps.
How many letters and syllables are in cusp?
| Letters | 4: C-U-S-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.1 times per million words; the 27,150th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is cusp?
Cusp appears 1.1 times per million words in written English, the 27,150th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce cusp?
- /kʌsp/
- /kʊsp/
Cusp has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-cusp.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with cusp?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as cusp.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: cups, scup.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of cusp
- cusps plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- cusping participle, present
- cusped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does cusp mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A sharp point or pointed end.
- 2
An important moment when a decision is made that will determine future events.
- 3
A point of a curve where the curve is continuous but has no derivative, but such that it has a derivative at every nearby point.
- 4
A point made by the intersection of two curved lines or curved structures, a common motif in Gothic architecture.
- 5
A boundary between zodiacal signs and houses.
- 6
Any of the pointed parts of a canine tooth or molar.
- 7
A flap of a valve of a heart or blood vessel.
- 8
A point of transition.
verb
- 1
slangTo behave in a reckless or dangerous manner.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Cusp in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Spitze , Scheitelpunkt, Wendepunkt |
| Portuguese | cúspide |
| Spanish | cúspide |
| French | point de rebroussement , cuspide |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does cusp come from?
From Latin cuspis (“a point, spear, pointed end”); first used in astrology. Doublet of cuspid and cuspis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).