# cuticle

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈkjuːtɪkəl/ · frequency rank #42,078

## Definitions
1. The outermost layer of the skin of vertebrates; the epidermis.
2. The strip of hardened skin at the base and sides of a fingernail or toenail.
3. Dead or cornified epidermis.
4. A noncellular protective covering outside the epidermis of many invertebrates and plants.
5. A thin skin formed on the surface of a liquid.
6. A protective layer on the shell of a bird's egg.

## Etymology
From Middle French cuticule, from Latin cuticula (“cuticle, skin”).

## Easily confused with
- **cutie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cuticle-vs-cutie)
- **cubicle** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cubicle-vs-cuticle)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ccuticle`, `ctuicle`, `cuitcle`, `cutcile`, `cuticcle`, `cuticel`, `cuticlle`, `cutilce`, `cutticle`, `ucticle`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cuticle