used to

/juːs(t).tu/

//juːs(t).tu// adj

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

"used-to" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“used to” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Accustomed to, tolerant or accepting of.

Corpus desk

Index EN-used-to · used to · English

used to · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "U" 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 used to
PropertyValue
Headwordused to
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/juːs(t).tu/
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “used to” in English

used tosits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

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

Rare enough to double-check

used to is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /juːs(t).tu/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Accustomed to, tolerant or accepting of.".

No generated misspelling entries exist for used to in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From used, past participle of use (“(archaic sense) to be in the habit of”) + to. The correct English form is used to, spelled U-S-E-D- -T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Accustomed to, tolerant or accepting of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I am very used to cleaning up other people’s mess.
  2. I became/grew quite used to his ways.

Etymology

From used, past participle of use (“(archaic sense) to be in the habit of”) + to.

Synonyms

wont toaccustomed to

Antonyms

unused to

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 "used to"?
"used to" is spelled U-S-E-D- -T-O. The IPA pronunciation is /juːs(t).tu/.
What does "used to" mean?
As an adjective, "used to" means: Accustomed to, tolerant or accepting of.
How do you pronounce "used to"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "used to" is /juːs(t).tu/. 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 "used to"?
From used, past participle of use (“(archaic sense) to be in the habit of”) + to. 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