suck

/sʌk/

//sʌk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“suck” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,532 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,532
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An instance of drawing something into one's mouth by inhaling.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

suck vs sun
50% similar
suck vs sum
50% similar
suck vs sue
50% similar

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

Key facts for suck
PropertyValue
Headwordsuck
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/sʌk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,532
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “suck” 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). suck lands here:

#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 suck is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /sʌk/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,532 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for suck, with forms such as "scuk", "ssuck", and "succk". 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, "sun", "sum", "sue", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English souken, suken, from Old English sūcan (“to suck”), from Proto-West Germanic *sūkan, from Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck, suckle”), from Proto-Indo-European *sewg-, *sewk- (“to suck”). Cognate with Scots souke (“to suck”), obsolete Dutc… The correct English form is suck, spelled S-U-C-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    An instance of drawing something into one's mouth by inhaling.
  2. 2
    Milk drawn from the breast.
  3. 3
    An indrawing of gas or liquid caused by suction.
  4. 4
    The ability to suck; suction.
  5. 5
    A part of a river towards which strong currents converge making navigation difficult.
  6. 6
    A weak, self-pitying person; a person who refuses to go along with others, especially out of spite; a crybaby or sore loser.
  7. 7
    A sycophant, especially a child.
  8. 8
    A short drink, especially a dram of spirits.
  9. 9
    An act of fellatio.
  10. 10
    Badness or mediocrity.

Etymology

From Middle English souken, suken, from Old English sūcan (“to suck”), from Proto-West Germanic *sūkan, from Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck, suckle”), from Proto-Indo-European *sewg-, *sewk- (“to suck”). Cognate with Scots souke (“to suck”), obsolete Dutch zuiken (“to suck”), Limburgish zuken, zoeken (“to suck”). Akin also to Old English sūgan (“to suck”), West Frisian sûge, sûge (“to suck”), Dutch zuigen (“to suck”), German saugen (“to suck”), Swedish suga (“to suck”), Icelandic sjúga (“to suck”), Latin sūgō (“suck”), Welsh sugno (“suck”). Related to soak.

Synonyms

sooksooky baby

This word in other languages

mamada(Español)Saugen(Deutsch)chupar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: scuk,ssuck,succk,suckk,sukc,usck

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of suck - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

scuk2ssuck1succk1suckk1sukc2usck2
Edit distance from "suck"

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 "suck"?
"suck" is spelled S-U-C-K. The IPA pronunciation is /sʌk/.
What does "suck" mean?
As a noun, "suck" means: An instance of drawing something into one's mouth by inhaling.
What words are commonly confused with "suck"?
"suck" is commonly confused with "sun", "sum", "sue". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "suck"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suck" is /sʌk/. 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 "suck"?
From Middle English souken, suken, from Old English sūcan (“to suck”), from Proto-West Germanic *sūkan, from Proto-Germanic *sūkaną (“to suck, suckle”), from Proto-Indo-European *sewg-, *sewk- (“to suck”). Cognate with Scots souke (“to suck”), obs... 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 “suck”

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

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list