rust

/ɹʌst/

//ɹʌst// noun

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

"rust" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“rust” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,604. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,604
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 deteriorated state of iron or steel as a result of moisture and oxidation; it consists mostly of iron(III) oxide (ferric oxide) and iron(II) oxide (ferrous oxide).

Corpus desk

Index EN-rust · rust · English

rust · rank #10,604 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,604
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH salty

Nearest frequency peer: salty (+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 “rust”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “rust” 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).

rust vs rut
75% similar
rust vs ruth
50% similar
rust vs rusty
80% similar

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

Key facts for rust
PropertyValue
Headwordrust
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹʌst/
Letters4
Frequency rank#10,604
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rust”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).rustlands 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 “salty” (#10,605), “reverend” (#10,602), “Scots” (#10,606). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rust” is #10,604. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around rust (IPA /ɹʌst/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,604 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for rust, with forms such as "rrust", "rsut", and "russt". 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, "rut", "ruth", "rusty", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English rust, rost, roust, from Old English rust, rūst (“rust”), from Proto-West Germanic *rust, from Proto-Germanic *rustaz (“rust”), from Proto-Indo-European *rudʰso- (“red”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (“red”). Cognate with Scots rous… The correct English form is rust, spelled R-U-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The deteriorated state of iron or steel as a result of moisture and oxidation; it consists mostly of iron(III) oxide (ferric oxide) and iron(II) oxide (ferrous oxide).
  2. 2
    A similar substance based on another metal.
  3. 3
    A reddish-brown color.
  4. 4
    A disease of plants caused by a reddish-brown fungus (Pucciniales).
  5. 5
    Damage caused to stamps and album pages by a fungal infection.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The rust on my bicycle chain made cycling to work very dangerous.

Etymology

From Middle English rust, rost, roust, from Old English rust, rūst (“rust”), from Proto-West Germanic *rust, from Proto-Germanic *rustaz (“rust”), from Proto-Indo-European *rudʰso- (“red”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (“red”). Cognate with Scots roust (“rust”), Saterland Frisian rust (“rust”), West Frisian roast (“rust”), Dutch roest (“rust”), German Rost (“rust”), Danish rust (“rust”), Swedish rost (“rust”), Norwegian rust, ryst (“rust”), Finnish ruoste, Estonian rooste. Related to red.

This word in other languages

óxido(Español)rouille(Français)Rost(Deutsch)ferrugem(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rrust
  • rsut
  • russt
  • rustt
  • ruts
  • urst

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

rrust1rsut2russt1rustt1ruts2urst2
Edit distance from "rust"

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 "rust"?
"rust" is spelled R-U-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹʌst/.
What does "rust" mean?
As a noun, "rust" means: The deteriorated state of iron or steel as a result of moisture and oxidation; it consists mostly of iron(III) oxide (ferric oxide) and iron(II) oxide (ferrous oxide).
What words are commonly confused with "rust"?
"rust" is commonly confused with "rut", "ruth", "rusty". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rust"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rust" is /ɹʌst/. 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 "rust"?
From Middle English rust, rost, roust, from Old English rust, rūst (“rust”), from Proto-West Germanic *rust, from Proto-Germanic *rustaz (“rust”), from Proto-Indo-European *rudʰso- (“red”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (“red”). Cognate with ... 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 "rust", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rams#10,598stud#10,615sunk#10,617vain#10,632

Similar misspelling depth

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

Sofia6 variantssupper6 variantsladen6 variantsarose6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list