lush

/lʌʃ/

//lʌʃ// adj

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

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

The verdict

“lush” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,951. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,951
frequency rank, English
2,297
“L” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Juicy, succulent.

Corpus desk

Index EN-lush · lush · English

lush · rank #13,951 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,951
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,297
  • PHOTO-FINISH lore

Nearest frequency peer: lore (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “lush”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “lush” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

lush vs lux
50% similar
lush vs luv
50% similar
lush vs luz
50% similar

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

Key facts for lush
PropertyValue
Headwordlush
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/lʌʃ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#13,951
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “lush”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).lushlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “lore” (#13,950), “luxurious” (#13,952), “longevity” (#13,949). Among 2,297 “L” headwords, “lush” is #13,951. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around lush (IPA /lʌʃ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,951 among 2,297 “L” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for lush, with forms such as "llush", "lsuh", and "luhs". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "lux", "luv", "luz", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English lusch (“slack, relaxed, limp, loose”), from Old English *lysċ, lesċ (“slack; limp”), from Proto-West Germanic *laskw, from Proto-Germanic *laskwaz (“weak, false, feeble”), from Proto-Indo-European *lēy- (“to let; leave behind”). Akin to … The correct English form is lush, spelled L-U-S-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    Juicy, succulent.
  2. 2
    Mellow; soft; (of ground or soil) easily turned; fertile.
  3. 3
    Dense, teeming with life; luxuriant.
  4. 4
    Savoury, delicious.
  5. 5
    Thriving; rife; sumptuous.
  6. 6
    Beautiful, sexy.
  7. 7
    Amazing, cool, fantastic, wicked.
  8. 8
    Lax; slack; limp; flexible.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. How luſh and luſty the graſſe lookes ? How greene ?
  2. Some of the world’s best rain forest and volcanic hiking can be found within the lush canopied Caribbean trail systems. Chock-full of waterfalls and hot springs, bright-colored birds and howling monkeys, flora-lined trails cut through thick, fragrant forests and up cloud-covered mountains.

Etymology

From Middle English lusch (“slack, relaxed, limp, loose”), from Old English *lysċ, lesċ (“slack; limp”), from Proto-West Germanic *laskw, from Proto-Germanic *laskwaz (“weak, false, feeble”), from Proto-Indo-European *lēy- (“to let; leave behind”). Akin to Old English lysu, lesu (“false, evil, base”), Middle Low German lasch (“slack”), Middle High German er-leswen (“to become weak”), Old Norse lǫskr (“weak, feeble”), Gothic 𐌻𐌰𐍃𐌹𐍅𐍃 (lasiws, “weak, feeble”), Middle Low German las, lasich (“slack, languid, idle”), Low German lusch (“loose”). Doublet of lusk. More at lishey, lazy.

This word in other languages

exuberante(Español)geil(Deutsch)viçoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • llush
  • lsuh
  • luhs
  • lushh
  • lussh
  • ulsh

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of lush - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

llush1lsuh2luhs2lushh1lussh1ulsh2
Edit distance from "lush"

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 "lush"?
"lush" is spelled L-U-S-H. The IPA pronunciation is /lʌʃ/.
What does "lush" mean?
As an adjective, "lush" means: Juicy, succulent.
What words are commonly confused with "lush"?
"lush" is commonly confused with "lux", "luv", "luz". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "lush"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "lush" is /lʌʃ/. 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 "lush"?
From Middle English lusch (“slack, relaxed, limp, loose”), from Old English *lysċ, lesċ (“slack; limp”), from Proto-West Germanic *laskw, from Proto-Germanic *laskwaz (“weak, false, feeble”), from Proto-Indo-European *lēy- (“to let; leave behind”)... 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 "lush", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

lore#13,950mash#13,954kite#13,945kara#13,941

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

kang6 variantsIndy6 variantsplum6 variantsReggie6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list