cut

/kʌt/

//kʌt// verb

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

"cut" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cut” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #569 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#569
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To incise, to cut into the surface of something.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

cut vs CV
0% similar
cut vs CW
0% similar
cut vs CX
0% similar

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

Key facts for cut
PropertyValue
Headwordcut
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/kʌt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#569
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “cut” 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). cut lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for cut is 3 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /kʌt/. Corpus data places it at rank #569 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 34 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

No generated misspelling entries exist for cut in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "CV", "CW", "CX", 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 English cutten, kitten, kytten, ketten (“to cut”) (compare Scots kut, kit (“to cut”)), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *kytja, *kutta, from Proto-Germanic *kutjaną, *kuttaną (“to cut”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Proto-Germ… The correct English form is cut, spelled C-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  2. 2
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  3. 3
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  4. 4
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  5. 5
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  6. 6
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  7. 7
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  8. 8
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  9. 9
    To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
  10. 10
    To admit of incision or severance; to yield to a cutting instrument.
  11. 11
    To separate, remove, reject or reduce.
  12. 12
    To separate, remove, reject or reduce.
  13. 13
    To separate, remove, reject or reduce.
  14. 14
    To separate, remove, reject or reduce.
  15. 15
    To separate, remove, reject or reduce.
  16. 16
    To ignore as a social rebuff or snub.
  17. 17
    To make an abrupt transition from one scene or image to another.
  18. 18
    To edit a film by selecting takes from original footage.
  19. 19
    To remove (text, a picture, etc.) and place in memory in order to paste at a later time.
  20. 20
    To enter a queue in the wrong place.
  21. 21
    To intersect or cross in such a way as to divide in half or nearly so.
  22. 22
    To make the ball spin sideways by running one's fingers down the side of the ball while bowling it.
  23. 23
    To deflect (a bowled ball) to the off, with a chopping movement of the bat.
  24. 24
    To change direction suddenly.
  25. 25
    To divide a pack of playing cards into two parts, often followed by placing the two parts back together in the opposite order.
  26. 26
    To make, negotiate; to finalise, conclude; to issue.
  27. 27
    To dilute or adulterate something, especially a recreational drug.
  28. 28
    To exhibit (a figure having some trait).
  29. 29
    To stop, disengage, or cease.
  30. 30
    To renounce or give up.
  31. 31
    To drive (a ball) to one side, as by (in billiards or croquet) hitting it fine with another ball, or (in tennis) striking it with the racket inclined.
  32. 32
    To lose body mass, aiming to keep muscle but lose body fat.
  33. 33
    To perform (an elaborate dancing movement etc.).
  34. 34
    To run or hurry.

Etymology

From Middle English cutten, kitten, kytten, ketten (“to cut”) (compare Scots kut, kit (“to cut”)), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *kytja, *kutta, from Proto-Germanic *kutjaną, *kuttaną (“to cut”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to Proto-Germanic *kwetwą (“meat, flesh”) (compare Old Norse kvett (“meat”)). Akin to Middle Swedish kotta (“to cut or carve with a knife”) (compare dialectal Swedish kåta, kuta (“to cut or chip with a knife”), Swedish kuta, kytti (“a knife”)), Norwegian Bokmål kutte (“to cut”), Norwegian Nynorsk kutte (“to cut”), Icelandic kuta (“to cut with a knife”), Old Norse kuti (“small knife”), Norwegian kyttel, kytel, kjutul (“pointed slip of wood used to strip bark”). Displaced native Middle English snithen (from Old English snīþan; compare German schneiden), which still survives in some dialects as snithe or snead. See snide. Adjective sense of "drunk" (now rare and now usually used in the originally jocular derivative form of half-cut) dates from the 17th century, from cut in the leg, to have cut your leg, euphemism for being very drunk.

Synonyms

carvechivecutincideinciselacerateracesharesneadsnickslashslivesnithe

This word in other languages

cortar(Español)couper(Français)einschneiden(Deutsch)remover(Português)

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 "cut"?
"cut" is spelled C-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /kʌt/.
What does "cut" mean?
As a verb, "cut" means: To incise, to cut into the surface of something.
What words are commonly confused with "cut"?
"cut" is commonly confused with "CV", "CW", "CX". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "cut"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "cut" is /kʌt/. 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 "cut"?
From Middle English cutten, kitten, kytten, ketten (“to cut”) (compare Scots kut, kit (“to cut”)), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *kytja, *kutta, from Proto-Germanic *kutjaną, *kuttaną (“to cut”), of uncertain origin, perhaps related to ... 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.

Using “cut”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is C-U-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /kʌt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “CV” - see the side-by-side comparison. cut vs CV
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list