gust

/ɡʌst/

//ɡʌst// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gust” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #25,398) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#25,398
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
4
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A strong, abrupt rush of wind.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gust · gust · English

gust · rank #25,398 · 4 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,398
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-LOW 4 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gullible

Nearest frequency peer: gullible (-1 rank slots)

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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “gust”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “gust” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gust vs guy
50% similar
gust vs gut
75% similar
gust vs guys
50% similar

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

Key facts for gust
PropertyValue
Headwordgust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡʌst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#25,398
Misspellings tracked4
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “gust”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).gustlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “gullible” (#25,397), “grille” (#25,396), “Glock” (#25,395). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gust” is #25,398. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for gust is neighbouring look-alikes ("guy", "gut", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ɡʌst/. Frequency #25,398 among 2,313 “G” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our generated misspelling index lists 4 likely wrong-spelling variants for gust, with forms such as "ggust", "gsut", and "gustt". 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: Apparently from an unrecorded Middle English *gust, from Old Norse gustr (“a gust, blast”), from Proto-Germanic *gustiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-. Cognate with Icelandic gustur (“gust of wind”). Related also to Old Norse gusa (“to gush forth”), Old H… The correct English form is gust, spelled G-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A strong, abrupt rush of wind.
  2. 2
    Any rush or outburst (of water, emotion, etc.).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The maximum sustained winds recorded at Waglan Island, Tate’s Cairn and Cheung Chau Beach were 113, 101 and 97 kmh (70, 62, 60 mph) respectively, with maximum gusts 135, 154 and 130 kmh (84, 96, 81 mph)
  2. they are merely driven about by every sudden gust and impulse of the mind

Etymology

Apparently from an unrecorded Middle English *gust, from Old Norse gustr (“a gust, blast”), from Proto-Germanic *gustiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-. Cognate with Icelandic gustur (“gust of wind”). Related also to Old Norse gusa (“to gush forth”), Old High German gussa (“flood”), Middle English guschen (> English gush). The English word was not recorded before Shakespeare.

This word in other languages

ráfaga(Español)souffle(Français)Bö(Deutsch)ventania(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggust
  • gsut
  • gustt
  • ugst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gust - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ggust1gsut2gustt1ugst2
Edit distance from "gust"

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 "gust"?
"gust" is spelled G-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡʌst/.
What does "gust" mean?
As a noun, "gust" means: A strong, abrupt rush of wind.
What words are commonly confused with "gust"?
"gust" 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 "gust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gust" is /ɡʌst/. 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 "gust"?
Apparently from an unrecorded Middle English *gust, from Old Norse gustr (“a gust, blast”), from Proto-Germanic *gustiz, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰew-. Cognate with Icelandic gustur (“gust of wind”). Related also to Old Norse gusa (“to gush fort... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "gust", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Faso#25,383Eton#25,377egos#25,368dory#25,360

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list