hussy

/ˈhʌsi/

//ˈhʌsi// noun

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

The verdict

“hussy” is uncommon English (frequency #77,781 among 23,837 “H” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,781
frequency rank, English
23,837
“H” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A housewife or housekeeper.

Key facts for hussy
PropertyValue
Headwordhussy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈhʌsi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#77,781
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “hussy” 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). hussy 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

hussy is uncommon English at frequency #77,781 among 23,837 “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.

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

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.

Using “hussy”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is H-U-S-S-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈhʌsi/ (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