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” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,532. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,532
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An instance of drawing something into one's mouth by inhaling.

Corpus desk

Index EN-suck · suck · English

suck · rank #3,532 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,532
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH studying

Nearest frequency peer: studying (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “suck”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “suck” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

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

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).suck lands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around suck (IPA /sʌk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,532 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Bammer agreed “Probably a good idea,” he agreed with a quick suck on his straw, “won't stop you from picking up any of these chicks, though.”
  2. The infant took suck in an instant, pulling strongly.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "suck", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ugly#3,535soil#3,527sexy#3,525deck#3,552

Similar misspelling depth

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

skill6 variantsboost6 variantsdust6 variantscuts6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "suck". Here's where to go from here.

  • "suck" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "sun". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,532 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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