rusty

Name: rusty, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɹʌsti/

//ˈɹʌsti// adj

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“rusty” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #12,855 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#12,855
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 8
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Marked or corroded by rust.

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
Property	Value
Headword	rusty
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈɹʌsti/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#12,855
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “rusty” 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). rusty lands here:

#12,855

#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 rusty is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹʌsti/. Corpus data places it at rank #12,855 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 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 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
Marked or corroded by rust.
2
Of the rust color, reddish or reddish-brown.
3
Lacking recent experience, out of practice, especially with respect to a skill or activity.
4
Of clothing, especially dark clothing: worn, shabby.
5
Affected with the fungal plant disease called rust.

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.

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.

Using “rusty”

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

The one correct English spelling is R-U-S-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈɹʌsti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “rut” - see the side-by-side comparison. rusty vs rut
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.