Susan

/ˈsuː.zən/

//ˈsuː.zən// name

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

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

The verdict

“Susan” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,803. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,803
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A female given name from Hebrew.

Corpus desk

Index EN-susan · Susan · English

Susan · rank #4,803 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,803
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH supplied

Nearest frequency peer: supplied (-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 “Susan”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Susan” 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).

Susan vs swan
40% similar
Susan vs sushi
40% similar
Susan vs Susie
60% similar

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

Key facts for Susan
PropertyValue
HeadwordSusan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈsuː.zən/
Letters5
Frequency rank#4,803
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Susan”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “supplied” (#4,802), “suspension” (#4,804), “suggestions” (#4,801). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Susan” is #4,803. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Susan (IPA /ˈsuː.zən/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #4,803 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A female given name from Hebrew.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Susan, with forms such as "ssuan", "ssusan", and "suasn". 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, "swan", "sushi", "Susie", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: English form of the biblical Susanna, from Biblical Hebrew שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (šōšannā, “lily”), ultimately from Egyptian z:S:n-M9 (zšn). The correct English form is Susan, spelled S-U-S-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A female given name from Hebrew.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Susan and she - God rest all Christian souls! - / Were of an age. Well, Susan is with God; / She was too good for me.
  2. "With all my heart, though I have not an idea who little Susan may be. But I have a kindness for all Susans, for simple Susan's sake.

Etymology

English form of the biblical Susanna, from Biblical Hebrew שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (šōšannā, “lily”), ultimately from Egyptian z:S:n-M9 (zšn).

This word in other languages

Susana(Español)Suzanne(Français)Susanne(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ssuan
  • ssusan
  • suasn
  • susann
  • susna
  • sussan
  • ussan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ssuan2ssusan1suasn2susann1susna2sussan1ussan2
Edit distance from "Susan"

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 "Susan"?
"Susan" is spelled S-U-S-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsuː.zən/.
What does "Susan" mean?
As a proper noun, "Susan" means: A female given name from Hebrew.
What words are commonly confused with "Susan"?
"Susan" is commonly confused with "swan", "sushi", "Susie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Susan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Susan" is /ˈsuː.zən/. 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 "Susan"?
English form of the biblical Susanna, from Biblical Hebrew שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (šōšannā, “lily”), ultimately from Egyptian z:S:n-M9 (zšn). 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 "Susan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

terry#4,806toxic#4,807robot#4,793wider#4,813

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

tunnel7 variantswound7 variantsbaker7 variantsnaval7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list