rebuke

/ɹiˈbjuːk/

//ɹiˈbjuːk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“rebuke” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,546. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,546
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A harsh criticism.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rebuke · rebuke · English

rebuke · rank #25,546 · 8 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,546
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rearing

Nearest frequency peer: rearing (-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 “rebuke”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “rebuke” 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).

rebuke vs reuse
67% similar
rebuke vs revue
67% similar
rebuke vs rebut
67% similar

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

Key facts for rebuke
PropertyValue
Headwordrebuke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹiˈbjuːk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#25,546
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rebuke”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).rebukelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “rearing” (#25,545), “rebuttal” (#25,547), “rationality” (#25,544). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rebuke” is #25,546. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around rebuke (IPA /ɹiˈbjuːk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #25,546 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A harsh criticism.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for rebuke, with forms such as "erbuke", "rbeuke", and "rebbuke". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "reuse", "revue", "rebut", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker (“to beat back, repel”), from re- + Old French *buker, buchier, buschier (“to strike, hack down, chop”), from busche (“wood”), from Vulgar Latin *busca (“wood, grove”), from Frankish *busk (“grove”), fr… The correct English form is rebuke, spelled R-E-B-U-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A harsh criticism.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. There was the sternness of an old-fashioned Tour patron in his rebuke to the young Frenchman Pierre Rolland, the only one to ride away from the peloton and seize the opportunity for a lone attack before being absorbed back into the bunch, where he was received with coolness.
  2. U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with the Vatican's No. 2 official, following a remarkable papal rebuke of the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants and Vance’s theological justification of it.

Etymology

From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker (“to beat back, repel”), from re- + Old French *buker, buchier, buschier (“to strike, hack down, chop”), from busche (“wood”), from Vulgar Latin *busca (“wood, grove”), from Frankish *busk (“grove”), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush”); equivalent to re- + bush.

Synonyms

reproachreproofreprovalreprehensionreprimandadmonition

This word in other languages

reproche(Español)reproche(Français)Tadel(Deutsch)bronca(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erbuke
  • rbeuke
  • rebbuke
  • rebkue
  • rebuek
  • rebukke
  • reubke
  • rrebuke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erbuke2rbeuke2rebbuke1rebkue2rebuek2rebukke1reubke2rrebuke1
Edit distance from "rebuke"

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 "rebuke"?
"rebuke" is spelled R-E-B-U-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹiˈbjuːk/.
What does "rebuke" mean?
As a noun, "rebuke" means: A harsh criticism.
What words are commonly confused with "rebuke"?
"rebuke" is commonly confused with "reuse", "revue", "rebut". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rebuke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rebuke" is /ɹiˈbjuːk/. 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 "rebuke"?
From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker (“to beat back, repel”), from re- + Old French *buker, buchier, buschier (“to strike, hack down, chop”), from busche (“wood”), from Vulgar Latin *busca (“wood, grove”), from Frankish *busk (“g... 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 "rebuke", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Riyadh#25,555pellet#25,525seater#25,567sensei#25,570

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

prays8 variantsscant8 variantspesky8 variantsskunk8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list