putsch

/pʊt͡ʃ/

//pʊt͡ʃ// noun

"putsch" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“putsch” is uncommon English (frequency #63,164 among 4,417 “P” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#63,164
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A coup d'état; an illegal effort to forcibly overthrow the current government.

Corpus desk

Index EN-putsch · putsch · English

putsch · rank #63,164 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #63,164
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH pursuer

Nearest frequency peer: pursuer (-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 “putsch”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for putsch
PropertyValue
Headwordputsch
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/pʊt͡ʃ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#63,164
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “putsch” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).putschfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “pursuer” (#63,163), “quadrature” (#63,165), “quadriplegic” (#63,166). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “putsch” is #63,164. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

putsch is uncommon English at frequency #63,164 among 4,417 “P” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /pʊt͡ʃ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A coup d'état; an illegal effort to forcibly overthrow the current government.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for putsch, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Putsch, from Alemannic German Putsch (“knock, thrust, blow”), of imitative origin. The correct English form is putsch, spelled P-U-T-S-C-H.

Definition

  1. 1
    A coup d'état; an illegal effort to forcibly overthrow the current government.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Afterward, the ringleaders of the failed putsch were publicly executed.
  2. 2010, Thompson, M. 2010. Modernisation theory’s last redoubt: democratisation in east and south east Asia. In Yin-wah Chu and Siu-lun Wong (ed), 'East Asia's new democracies: deepening, reversal, non-liberal alternatives'. London, Routledge.p98. "They have broken the democratic rules of the game by supporting popular mobilisation that has resulted in what…

Etymology

Borrowed from German Putsch, from Alemannic German Putsch (“knock, thrust, blow”), of imitative origin.

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 "putsch"?
"putsch" is spelled P-U-T-S-C-H. The IPA pronunciation is /pʊt͡ʃ/.
What does "putsch" mean?
As a noun, "putsch" means: A coup d'état; an illegal effort to forcibly overthrow the current government.
How do you pronounce "putsch"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "putsch" is /pʊt͡ʃ/. 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 "putsch"?
Borrowed from German Putsch, from Alemannic German Putsch (“knock, thrust, blow”), of imitative origin. 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 "putsch", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list