nutso

/ˈnʌ.t͡soʊ/

//ˈnʌ.t͡soʊ// adj

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

The verdict

“nutso” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-nutso · nutso · English

nutso · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "N" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for nutso
PropertyValue
Headwordnutso
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈnʌ.t͡soʊ/
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “nutso” in English

nutsofalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

nutso is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈnʌ.t͡soʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for nutso in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From nuts + -o. The correct English form is nutso, spelled N-U-T-S-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Crazy, insane.
  2. 2
    Fraught or out of control.
  3. 3
    Obsessed; overly enthusiastic.
  4. 4
    Ridiculous; unbelievable or silly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. "You wanted a report, so here's a full report: crazy, nutso, raisins short of a fruitcake, rubber walls, screaming-mad basket-cases."
  2. "It's a bit scary if you have a difficult boss, and it's out-and-out frightening if you have a completely nutso, maladjusted, irrational, or disturbed boss."

Etymology

From nuts + -o.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "nutso"?
"nutso" is spelled N-U-T-S-O. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnʌ.t͡soʊ/.
What does "nutso" mean?
As an adjective, "nutso" means: Crazy, insane.
How do you pronounce "nutso"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "nutso" is /ˈnʌ.t͡soʊ/. 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 "nutso"?
From nuts + -o. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list