tusk

/ˈtʌsk/

//ˈtʌsk// noun

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

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

The verdict

“tusk” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,017. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,017
frequency rank, English
3,151
“T” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of a pair of elongated pointed teeth that extend outside the mouth of an animal such as walrus, elephant or wild boar, and which continue to grow throughout the animal's life.

Corpus desk

Index EN-tusk · tusk · English

tusk · rank #31,017 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,017
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,151
  • PHOTO-FINISH turban

Nearest frequency peer: turban (-2 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 “tusk”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “tusk” 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).

tusk vs tut
50% similar
tusk vs tux
50% similar
tusk vs tutu
50% similar

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

Key facts for tusk
PropertyValue
Headwordtusk
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈtʌsk/
Letters4
Frequency rank#31,017
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “tusk”

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).tusklands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “turban” (#31,015), “unending” (#31,020), “unforgiving” (#31,021). Among 3,151 “T” headwords, “tusk” is #31,017. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around tusk (IPA /ˈtʌsk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #31,017 among 3,151 “T” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for tusk, with forms such as "tsuk", "ttusk", and "tuks". 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, "tut", "tux", "tutu", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English tusk (also tux, tusch), from Old English tūx, tūsc (“canine tooth, tusk, molar”), from Proto-West Germanic *tų̄sk, *tunsk, from Proto-Germanic *tunþskaz (“canine tooth”), extended form of *tanþs (“tooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dón… The correct English form is tusk, spelled T-U-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of a pair of elongated pointed teeth that extend outside the mouth of an animal such as walrus, elephant or wild boar, and which continue to grow throughout the animal's life.
  2. 2
    A small projection on a (tusk) tenon.
  3. 3
    A tusk shell.
  4. 4
    A projecting member like a tenon, and serving the same or a similar purpose, but composed of several steps, or offsets, called teeth.
  5. 5
    A sharp point.
  6. 6
    The share of a plough.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Until the CITES sales ban, elephant tusks were the 'backbone' of the legal ivory trade.

Etymology

From Middle English tusk (also tux, tusch), from Old English tūx, tūsc (“canine tooth, tusk, molar”), from Proto-West Germanic *tų̄sk, *tunsk, from Proto-Germanic *tunþskaz (“canine tooth”), extended form of *tanþs (“tooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts (“tooth”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tusk (“tooth”), West Frisian tosk (“tooth”), Icelandic toskur (“a tusk, tooth”) (whence the Old Norse and Icelandic Ratatoskr and Ratatoskur respectively), Gothic 𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌸𐌿𐍃 (tunþus, “tooth”) and *𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌹 (*tundi, “thorn, tooth”). Doublet of tush. More at tooth.

This word in other languages

colmillo(Español)défense(Français)Stoßzahn(Deutsch)presa(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • tsuk
  • ttusk
  • tuks
  • tuskk
  • tussk
  • utsk

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

tsuk2ttusk1tuks2tuskk1tussk1utsk2
Edit distance from "tusk"

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 "tusk"?
"tusk" is spelled T-U-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈtʌsk/.
What does "tusk" mean?
As a noun, "tusk" means: One of a pair of elongated pointed teeth that extend outside the mouth of an animal such as walrus, elephant or wild boar, and which continue to grow throughout the animal's life.
What words are commonly confused with "tusk"?
"tusk" is commonly confused with "tut", "tux", "tutu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "tusk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "tusk" is /ˈtʌsk/. 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 "tusk"?
From Middle English tusk (also tux, tusch), from Old English tūx, tūsc (“canine tooth, tusk, molar”), from Proto-West Germanic *tų̄sk, *tunsk, from Proto-Germanic *tunþskaz (“canine tooth”), extended form of *tanþs (“tooth”), from Proto-Indo-Europ... 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 "tusk", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

SUNY#30,995YOLO#31,039sown#30,976Sosa#30,975

Similar misspelling depth

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

Usain6 variantsShih6 variantsASTM6 variantsbosh6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list