fuscous

/ˈfʌskəs/

//ˈfʌskəs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“fuscous” is uncommon English (frequency #54,789 among 18,613 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,789
frequency rank, English
18,613
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of a dark, brownish-grey color; dark-hued, dusky, swarthy.

Key facts for fuscous
PropertyValue
Headwordfuscous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfʌskəs/
Letters7
Frequency rank#54,789
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “fuscous” 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). fuscous lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

fuscous is uncommon English at frequency #54,789 among 18,613 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfʌskəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Of a dark, brownish-grey color; dark-hued, dusky, swarthy.".

fuscous doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin fusc(us) (“dark, dusky”) + -ous. The correct English form is fuscous, spelled F-U-S-C-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a dark, brownish-grey color; dark-hued, dusky, swarthy.

Etymology

From Latin fusc(us) (“dark, dusky”) + -ous.

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 "fuscous"?
"fuscous" is spelled F-U-S-C-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfʌskəs/.
What does "fuscous" mean?
As an adjective, "fuscous" means: Of a dark, brownish-grey color; dark-hued, dusky, swarthy.
How do you pronounce "fuscous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "fuscous" is /ˈfʌskəs/. 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 "fuscous"?
From Latin fusc(us) (“dark, dusky”) + -ous. 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 “fuscous”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is F-U-S-C-O-U-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈfʌskəs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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