gush

/ˈɡʌʃ/

//ˈɡʌʃ// noun

"gush" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gush” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #35,744 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#35,744
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A sudden rapid outflow.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gush vs guy
50% similar
gush vs gut
50% similar
gush vs guys
50% similar

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

Key facts for gush
PropertyValue
Headwordgush
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡʌʃ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#35,744
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gush” 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). gush 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 gush is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡʌʃ/. Corpus data places it at rank #35,744 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A sudden rapid outflow.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for gush, with forms such as "ggush", "gsuh", and "guhs". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "guy", "gut", "guys", 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 guschen, gusshen, gosshien, perhaps from Middle Dutch guysen (“to flow out with a gurgling sound, gush”) or Old Norse gusa (“to gush”), ultimately imitative. Compare Old Norse geysa (“to gush”), German gießen (“to pour”), Old English ġēo… The correct English form is gush, spelled G-U-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A sudden rapid outflow.

Etymology

From Middle English guschen, gusshen, gosshien, perhaps from Middle Dutch guysen (“to flow out with a gurgling sound, gush”) or Old Norse gusa (“to gush”), ultimately imitative. Compare Old Norse geysa (“to gush”), German gießen (“to pour”), Old English ġēotan ("to pour"; > English yote). Related to gust.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggush,gsuh,guhs,gushh,gussh,ugsh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gush - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ggush1gsuh2guhs2gushh1gussh1ugsh2
Edit distance from "gush"

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 "gush"?
"gush" is spelled G-U-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡʌʃ/.
What does "gush" mean?
As a noun, "gush" means: A sudden rapid outflow.
What words are commonly confused with "gush"?
"gush" is commonly confused with "guy", "gut", "guys". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gush"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gush" is /ˈɡʌʃ/. 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 "gush"?
From Middle English guschen, gusshen, gosshien, perhaps from Middle Dutch guysen (“to flow out with a gurgling sound, gush”) or Old Norse gusa (“to gush”), ultimately imitative. Compare Old Norse geysa (“to gush”), German gießen (“to pour”), Old E... 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 “gush”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-U-S-H - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡʌʃ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “guy” - see the side-by-side comparison. gush vs guy
  • 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