hussy

/ˈhʌsi/

//ˈhʌsi// noun

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

"hussy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“hussy” is uncommon English (frequency #77,781 among 2,646 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,781
frequency rank, English
2,646
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A housewife or housekeeper.

Corpus desk

Index EN-hussy · hussy · English

hussy · rank #77,781 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,781
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,646
  • PHOTO-FINISH hypermarket

Nearest frequency peer: hypermarket (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “hussy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “hussy” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for hussy
PropertyValue
Headwordhussy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhʌsi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#77,781
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “hussy” in English

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “hypermarket” (#77,782), “hypochlorite” (#77,784), “IaaS” (#77,786). Among 2,646 “H” headwords, “hussy” is #77,781. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

hussy is uncommon English at frequency #77,781 among 2,646 “H” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈhʌsi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for hussy in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier hussive, hussif, the regular evolution of Middle English houswyf (“housewife”), equivalent to house + wife. Modern housewife is a restoration of the compound (and thus is a doublet), after its component parts had become unrecognisable through r… The correct English form is hussy, spelled H-U-S-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A housewife or housekeeper.
  2. 2
    A sexually immoral woman.
  3. 3
    A cheeky or disrespectful girl; a woman showing inappropriate or improper behavior.
  4. 4
    A case or bag for needles, thread, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. WIRTHIN. Well, I should think so! They just dote on that hussy—can't seem to get enough of her. Gretchen tells me so herself. And the care she takes of them!
  2. She called him `pig' in bastard Arabic, and he called her `hussy' in good English, but these amenities were forgotten in the face of the catastrophe that had overwhelmed her at the hands of her Queen.

Etymology

From earlier hussive, hussif, the regular evolution of Middle English houswyf (“housewife”), equivalent to house + wife. Modern housewife is a restoration of the compound (and thus is a doublet), after its component parts had become unrecognisable through regular phonetic change, as well as gradual negative senses and historical factors. The traditional pronunciation of the word is /ˈhʌzi/; the pronunciation with /s/ is a spelling pronunciation.

This word in other languages

traînée(Français)Flittchen(Deutsch)

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 "hussy"?
"hussy" is spelled H-U-S-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈhʌsi/.
What does "hussy" mean?
As a noun, "hussy" means: A housewife or housekeeper.
How do you pronounce "hussy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "hussy" is /ˈhʌsi/. 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 "hussy"?
From earlier hussive, hussif, the regular evolution of Middle English houswyf (“housewife”), equivalent to house + wife. Modern housewife is a restoration of the compound (and thus is a doublet), after its component parts had become unrecognisable... 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 "hussy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Honan#77,773hexes#77,764Kezia#77,832lamer#77,844

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list