cut a figure

verb

"cut-a-figure" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“cut a figure” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
12
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To present an image; to make an impression.

Corpus desk

Index EN-cut-a-figure · cut a figure · English

cut a figure · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for cut a figure
PropertyValue
Headwordcut a figure
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters12
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “cut a figure” in English

cut a figureranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

cut a figure is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "To present an image; to make an impression.".

cut a figure doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct English form is cut a figure, spelled C-U-T- -A- -F-I-G-U-R-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To present an image; to make an impression.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. To cut a fine/sorry figure.
  2. Your desire was to cut a figure in the Fashionable World. Well, to-day you have your wish—to-day you are famous.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "cut a figure"?
"cut a figure" is spelled C-U-T- -A- -F-I-G-U-R-E.
What does "cut a figure" mean?
As a verb, "cut a figure" means: To present an image; to make an impression.
What language does "cut a figure" come from?
"cut a figure" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list