rusty

/ˈɹʌsti/

//ˈɹʌsti// adj

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

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

The verdict

“rusty” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,855. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,855
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Marked or corroded by rust.

Corpus desk

Index EN-rusty · rusty · English

rusty · rank #12,855 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,855
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH Rupert

Nearest frequency peer: Rupert (-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 “rusty”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “rusty” 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).

rusty vs rut
60% similar
rusty vs ruth
60% similar
rusty vs Rus
40% similar

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

Key facts for rusty
PropertyValue
Headwordrusty
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹʌsti/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,855
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “rusty”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Rupert” (#12,854), “scarce” (#12,856), “rotary” (#12,853). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “rusty” is #12,855. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around rusty (IPA /ˈɹʌsti/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,855 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for rusty, with forms such as "rrusty", "rsuty", and "russty". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rut", "ruth", "Rus", 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 rusty, from Old English rūstiġ (“rusty”), from Proto-Germanic *rustagaz (“rusty”), equivalent to rust + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian rusterch (“rusty”), West Frisian rustich, roastich (“rusty”), Dutch roestig (“rusty”), German Low … The correct English form is rusty, spelled R-U-S-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marked or corroded by rust.
  2. 2
    Of the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown.
  3. 3
    Lacking recent experience, out of practice, especially with respect to a skill or activity.
  4. 4
    Of clothing, especially dark clothing: worn, shabby.
  5. 5
    Affected with the fungal plant disease called rust.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Alive? he might be dead for aught I know, / With that red gaunt and colloped neck a-strain, / And shut eyes underneath the rusty mane;
  2. Three chairs of the steamer type, all maimed, comprised the furniture of this roof-garden, with […] on one of the copings a row of four red clay flower-pots filled with sun-baked dust from which gnarled and rusty stalks thrust themselves up like withered elfin limbs.

Etymology

From Middle English rusty, from Old English rūstiġ (“rusty”), from Proto-Germanic *rustagaz (“rusty”), equivalent to rust + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian rusterch (“rusty”), West Frisian rustich, roastich (“rusty”), Dutch roestig (“rusty”), German Low German rusterig, rüsterig (“rusty”), German rostig (“rusty”), Swedish rostig (“rusty”).

This word in other languages

herrumbroso(Español)rouillé(Français)rostig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • rrusty
  • rsuty
  • russty
  • rustty
  • rustyy
  • rusyt
  • rutsy
  • ursty

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of rusty - 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.

rrusty1rsuty2russty1rustty1rustyy1rusyt2rutsy2ursty2
Edit distance from "rusty"

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 "rusty"?
"rusty" is spelled R-U-S-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹʌsti/.
What does "rusty" mean?
As an adjective, "rusty" means: Marked or corroded by rust.
What words are commonly confused with "rusty"?
"rusty" is commonly confused with "rut", "ruth", "Rus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "rusty"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "rusty" is /ˈɹʌsti/. 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 "rusty"?
From Middle English rusty, from Old English rūstiġ (“rusty”), from Proto-Germanic *rustagaz (“rusty”), equivalent to rust + -y. Cognate with Saterland Frisian rusterch (“rusty”), West Frisian rustich, roastich (“rusty”), Dutch roestig (“rusty”), 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 "rusty", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Rosie#12,852resin#12,850slips#12,861stint#12,867

Similar misspelling depth

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

tailor8 variantspigeon8 variantsunseen8 variantswaiter8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list