custody

/ˈkʌstədiː/

//ˈkʌstədiː// noun

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

"custody" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“custody” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,934. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,934
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The legal right to take care of something or somebody, especially children.

Corpus desk

Index EN-custody · custody · English

custody · rank #4,934 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,934
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH cruise

Nearest frequency peer: cruise (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “custody”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “custody” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

custody vs custom
71% similar
custody vs customs
71% similar

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

Key facts for custody
PropertyValue
Headwordcustody
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʌstədiː/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,934
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “custody”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).custodylands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “cruise” (#4,933), “delete” (#4,935), “completion” (#4,932). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “custody” is #4,934. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around custody (IPA /ˈkʌstədiː/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,934 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for custody, with forms such as "ccustody", "csutody", and "cusotdy". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "custom", "customs", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin custōdia (“a keeping, watch, guard, prison”), from custōs (“a keeper, watchman, guard”). Doublet of custode. The correct English form is custody, spelled C-U-S-T-O-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The legal right to take care of something or somebody, especially children.
  2. 2
    Temporary possession or care of somebody else's property.
  3. 3
    The state of being imprisoned or detained, usually pending a trial.
  4. 4
    An area under the jurisdiction of a custos within the Order of Friars Minor.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The court awarded custody to the child's father.
  2. The mother gained custody of the children.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin custōdia (“a keeping, watch, guard, prison”), from custōs (“a keeper, watchman, guard”). Doublet of custode.

This word in other languages

custodia(Español)garde(Français)Sorgerecht(Deutsch)custódia(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccustody
  • csutody
  • cusotdy
  • cusstody
  • custdoy
  • custoddy
  • custodyy
  • custoyd
  • custtody
  • cutsody
  • ucstody

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ccustody1csutody2cusotdy2cusstody1custdoy2custoddy1custodyy1custoyd2
Edit distance from "custody"

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 "custody"?
"custody" is spelled C-U-S-T-O-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʌstədiː/.
What does "custody" mean?
As a noun, "custody" means: The legal right to take care of something or somebody, especially children.
What words are commonly confused with "custody"?
"custody" is commonly confused with "custom", "customs". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "custody"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "custody" is /ˈkʌstədiː/. 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 "custody"?
Borrowed from Latin custōdia (“a keeping, watch, guard, prison”), from custōs (“a keeper, watchman, guard”). Doublet of custode. 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 "custody", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

cheaper#4,927briefly#4,923biology#4,921bearing#4,918

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

generate11 variantslongest11 variantspension11 variantssettings11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list