scuzz

noun

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

The verdict

“scuzz” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
5
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A scuzzy person, an unpleasant or disgusting person.

Corpus desk

Index EN-scuzz · scuzz · English

scuzz · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for scuzz
PropertyValue
Headwordscuzz
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters5
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “scuzz” in English

scuzzranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

scuzz is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for scuzz, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Back-formation from scuzzy. The correct English form is scuzz, spelled S-C-U-Z-Z.

Definition

  1. 1
    A scuzzy person, an unpleasant or disgusting person.
  2. 2
    A scuzzy thing, a disgusting substance, especially dirt or grime.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. For example, when the poor surviving father – the excellent actor Robert Forster as “Eddie Marino” – sees a pious liberal judge suspend the sentence on the scuz that killed his son, he goes berserk in the courtroom – and he ends up in the slammer for contempt of court!

Etymology

Back-formation from scuzzy.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "scuzz"?
"scuzz" is spelled S-C-U-Z-Z.
What does "scuzz" mean?
As a noun, "scuzz" means: A scuzzy person, an unpleasant or disgusting person.
What is the origin of the word "scuzz"?
Back-formation from scuzzy. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list