cuss

/kʌs/

//kʌs// verb

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

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

The verdict

“cuss” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #35,674) as a verb. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#35,674
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To use cursing, to use bad language, to speak profanely.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cuss · cuss · English

cuss · rank #35,674 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,674
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH crescendo

Nearest frequency peer: crescendo (-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 neighbours of confusable “cuss”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “cuss” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

cuss vs cut
50% similar
cuss vs cuz
50% similar
cuss vs CVS
0% similar

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

Key facts for cuss
PropertyValue
Headwordcuss
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kʌs/
Letters4
Frequency rank#35,674
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “cuss”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “crescendo” (#35,673), “Dalek” (#35,675), “Crenshaw” (#35,672). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “cuss” is #35,674. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for cuss is neighbouring look-alikes ("cut", "cuz", …), not just typos; it is averb pronounced /kʌs/. Frequency #35,674 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Gloss: "To use cursing, to use bad language, to speak profanely.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for cuss, with forms such as "ccuss", "csus", and "cus". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "cut", "cuz", "CVS", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: An American English variant of curse; for a similar phonetic development, compare ass (“buttocks”), from arse, in which the r was originally pronounced (as in curse). The correct English form is cuss, spelled C-U-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    To use cursing, to use bad language, to speak profanely.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I went over the fence like a shot, and ran like one o'clock for the trap, cussing and swearing as I went.

Etymology

An American English variant of curse; for a similar phonetic development, compare ass (“buttocks”), from arse, in which the r was originally pronounced (as in curse).

This word in other languages

jurer(Français)fluchen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccuss
  • csus
  • cus
  • ucss

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccuss1csus2cus1ucss2
Edit distance from "cuss"

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 "cuss"?
"cuss" is spelled C-U-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /kʌs/.
What does "cuss" mean?
As a verb, "cuss" means: To use cursing, to use bad language, to speak profanely.
What words are commonly confused with "cuss"?
"cuss" is commonly confused with "cut", "cuz", "CVS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cuss"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cuss" is /kʌs/. 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 "cuss"?
An American English variant of curse; for a similar phonetic development, compare ass (“buttocks”), from arse, in which the r was originally pronounced (as in curse). 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 "cuss", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

dibs#35,683Chaz#35,655buss#35,640foal#35,721

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list