reuse

/ɹiːˈjuːs/

//ɹiːˈjuːs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“reuse” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,938. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,938
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of salvaging or in some manner restoring a discarded item to yield something usable.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reuse · reuse · English

reuse · rank #17,938 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,938
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reunite

Nearest frequency peer: reunite (-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 “reuse”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reuse” 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).

reuse vs rue
60% similar
reuse vs Rus
40% similar
reuse vs rule
60% similar

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

Key facts for reuse
PropertyValue
Headwordreuse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹiːˈjuːs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,938
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reuse”

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).reuselands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “reunite” (#17,937), “Reyes” (#17,939), “retard” (#17,936). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reuse” is #17,938. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around reuse (IPA /ɹiːˈjuːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,938 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for reuse, with forms such as "eruse", "resue", and "reues". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rue", "Rus", "rule", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From re- + use. The correct English form is reuse, spelled R-E-U-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of salvaging or in some manner restoring a discarded item to yield something usable.
  2. 2
    The act of using again, or in another place.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Code reuse can save programmers a lot of typing.

Etymology

From re- + use.

This word in other languages

reutilizar(Español)réemploi(Français)Wiederverwendung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eruse
  • resue
  • reues
  • reusse
  • rreuse
  • ruese

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reuse - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

eruse2resue2reues2reusse1rreuse1ruese2
Edit distance from "reuse"

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 "reuse"?
"reuse" is spelled R-E-U-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹiːˈjuːs/.
What does "reuse" mean?
As a noun, "reuse" means: The act of salvaging or in some manner restoring a discarded item to yield something usable.
What words are commonly confused with "reuse"?
"reuse" is commonly confused with "rue", "Rus", "rule". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reuse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reuse" is /ɹiːˈjuːs/. 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 "reuse"?
From re- + use. 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 "reuse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Reyes#17,939relic#17,935racks#17,930Plato#17,922

Similar misspelling depth

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

stun6 variantstack6 variantstart6 variantsting6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list