usher

/ˈʌʃəɹ/

//ˈʌʃəɹ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“usher” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #14,862. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#14,862
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person, in a church, cinema etc., who escorts people to their seats.

Corpus desk

Index EN-usher · usher · English

usher · rank #14,862 · 7 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #14,862
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH ultrasound

Nearest frequency peer: ultrasound (-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 “usher”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “usher” 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).

usher vs USSR
0% similar
usher vs utter
60% similar
usher vs use
60% similar

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

Key facts for usher
PropertyValue
Headwordusher
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈʌʃəɹ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#14,862
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “usher”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).usherlands 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 “ultrasound” (#14,861), “tyre” (#14,860), “vascular” (#14,864). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “usher” is #14,862. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around usher (IPA /ˈʌʃəɹ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #14,862 among 1,433 “U” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for usher, with forms such as "suher", "uhser", and "usehr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "USSR", "utter", "use", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English ussher, uscher, usscher, from Anglo-Norman usser and Old French ussier, uissier (“porter, doorman”) (compare French huissier), from Vulgar Latin *ustiārius (“doorkeeper”), from Latin ōstiārius, from ōstium (“door”). Akin to ōs (“mouth”).… The correct English form is usher, spelled U-S-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person, in a church, cinema etc., who escorts people to their seats.
  2. 2
    A male escort at a wedding.
  3. 3
    A doorkeeper in a courtroom.
  4. 4
    An assistant to a head teacher or schoolteacher; an assistant teacher.
  5. 5
    Any schoolteacher.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [H]e defrayed the expence of his entrance, and left him in the particular care and inspection of the usher, who […] though obliged by the scandalous administration of fortune to act in the character of an inferior teacher, had by his sole capacity and application, brought the school to that degree of reputation which it never could have obtained from the…
  2. He began to learn Latin with Mr. Hawkins, usher, or under-master of Lichfield school, ‘a man (said he) very skilful in his little way.’

Etymology

From Middle English ussher, uscher, usscher, from Anglo-Norman usser and Old French ussier, uissier (“porter, doorman”) (compare French huissier), from Vulgar Latin *ustiārius (“doorkeeper”), from Latin ōstiārius, from ōstium (“door”). Akin to ōs (“mouth”). Probably a doublet of ostiary and huissier.

This word in other languages

acomodador(Español)ouvreur(Français)Platzanweiser(Deutsch)lanterninha(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • suher
  • uhser
  • usehr
  • usherr
  • ushher
  • ushre
  • ussher

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

suher2uhser2usehr2usherr1ushher1ushre2ussher1
Edit distance from "usher"

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 "usher"?
"usher" is spelled U-S-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈʌʃəɹ/.
What does "usher" mean?
As a noun, "usher" means: A person, in a church, cinema etc., who escorts people to their seats.
What words are commonly confused with "usher"?
"usher" is commonly confused with "USSR", "utter", "use". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "usher"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "usher" is /ˈʌʃəɹ/. 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 "usher"?
From Middle English ussher, uscher, usscher, from Anglo-Norman usser and Old French ussier, uissier (“porter, doorman”) (compare French huissier), from Vulgar Latin *ustiārius (“doorkeeper”), from Latin ōstiārius, from ōstium (“door”). Akin to ōs ... 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 "usher", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Weiss#14,867Wiley#14,869spins#14,843annex#14,883

Similar misspelling depth

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

sigma7 variantsbarge7 variantsbribe7 variantspleas7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list