rescue

/ˈɹɛs.kjuː/

//ˈɹɛs.kjuː// verb

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

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

The verdict

“rescue” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,131 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#3,131
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To save from any violence, danger or evil.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

rescue vs revue
67% similar
rescue vs reside
67% similar
rescue vs roscoe
67% similar

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

Key facts for rescue
PropertyValue
Headwordrescue
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɹɛs.kjuː/
Letters6
Frequency rank#3,131
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rescue” 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). rescue lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for rescue is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛs.kjuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,131 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for rescue, with forms such as "erscue", "recsue", and "resccue". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "revue", "reside", "roscoe", 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 rescouen, from Old French rescoure, rescurre, rescorre; from Latin prefix re- (“re-”) + excutere (“to shake or drive out”), from ex (“out”) + quatiō (“to shake”). The correct English form is rescue, spelled R-E-S-C-U-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To save from any violence, danger or evil.
  2. 2
    To free or liberate from confinement or other physical restraint.
  3. 3
    To recover forcibly, especially from a siege.
  4. 4
    To remove or withdraw from a state of exposure to evil and sin.
  5. 5
    To achieve something positive under difficult conditions.
  6. 6
    To restore a particular trait in an organism that was lost or altered, especially where this loss was as the consequence of some experimental manipulation.
  7. 7
    To salvage and restore something that has been discarded.
  8. 8
    To fix a mistake made while preparing something, especially in cooking.
  9. 9
    To adopt (an animal).

Etymology

From Middle English rescouen, from Old French rescoure, rescurre, rescorre; from Latin prefix re- (“re-”) + excutere (“to shake or drive out”), from ex (“out”) + quatiō (“to shake”).

This word in other languages

socorrer(Español)délivrer(Français)retten(Deutsch)resgatar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: erscue,recsue,resccue,resceu,resscue,resuce,rrescue,rsecue

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rescue - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

erscue2recsue2resccue1resceu2resscue1resuce2rrescue1rsecue2
Edit distance from "rescue"

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 "rescue"?
"rescue" is spelled R-E-S-C-U-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛs.kjuː/.
What does "rescue" mean?
As a verb, "rescue" means: To save from any violence, danger or evil.
What words are commonly confused with "rescue"?
"rescue" is commonly confused with "revue", "reside", "roscoe". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rescue"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rescue" is /ˈɹɛs.kjuː/. 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 "rescue"?
From Middle English rescouen, from Old French rescoure, rescurre, rescorre; from Latin prefix re- (“re-”) + excutere (“to shake or drive out”), from ex (“out”) + quatiō (“to shake”). 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.

Using “rescue”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-C-U-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɹɛs.kjuː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “revue” - see the side-by-side comparison. rescue vs revue
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list