kudzu

/ˈkʊd.zuː/

//ˈkʊd.zuː// noun

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

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

The verdict

“kudzu” is uncommon English (frequency #81,483 among 9,255 “K” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,483
frequency rank, English
9,255
“K” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An Asian vine (several species in the genus Pueraria, but mostly Pueraria montana var. lobata, syn. Pueraria lobata in the US), grown as a root starch, and which is a notorious invasive weed in the...

Corpus desk

Index EN-kudzu · kudzu · English

kudzu · rank #81,483 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,483
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 9,255
  • PHOTO-FINISH kudu

Nearest frequency peer: kudu (-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 neighbourhood for “kudzu”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “kudzu” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026
Key facts for kudzu
PropertyValue
Headwordkudzu
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkʊd.zuː/
Letters5
Frequency rank#81,483
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “kudzu” 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). kudzu 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

kudzu is uncommon English at frequency #81,483 among 9,255 “K” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkʊd.zuː/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

kudzu doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Japanese 葛(くず) (kuzu). The spelling kudzu (instead of kuzu) is due to the historical transliteration methods of Japanese into English (compare adzuki). The correct English form is kudzu, spelled K-U-D-Z-U.

Definition

  1. 1
    An Asian vine (several species in the genus Pueraria, but mostly Pueraria montana var. lobata, syn. Pueraria lobata in the US), grown as a root starch, and which is a notorious invasive weed in the United States.
  2. 2
    A starch extracted from the root that is used in traditional East Asian medicine and cuisine.

Etymology

From Japanese 葛(くず) (kuzu). The spelling kudzu (instead of kuzu) is due to the historical transliteration methods of Japanese into English (compare adzuki).

This word in other languages

Kudzu(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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "kudzu"?
"kudzu" is spelled K-U-D-Z-U. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkʊd.zuː/.
What does "kudzu" mean?
As a noun, "kudzu" means: An Asian vine (several species in the genus Pueraria, but mostly Pueraria montana var. lobata, syn. Pueraria lobata in the US), grown as a root starch, and which is a notorious invasive weed in the...
How do you pronounce "kudzu"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "kudzu" is /ˈkʊd.zuː/. 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 "kudzu"?
From Japanese 葛(くず) (kuzu). The spelling kudzu (instead of kuzu) is due to the historical transliteration methods of Japanese into English (compare adzuki). 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 "kudzu", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Krish#81,480kitab#81,471Keown#81,466kefir#81,461
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