usury

/ˈjuːʒəɹi/

//ˈjuːʒəɹi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“usury” is uncommon English (frequency #50,879 among 1,433 “U” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,879
frequency rank, English
1,433
“U” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An exorbitant rate of interest, in excess of any legal rates or at least immorally.

Corpus desk

Index EN-usury · usury · English

usury · rank #50,879 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,879
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,433
  • PHOTO-FINISH untangle

Nearest frequency peer: untangle (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “usury”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “usury” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for usury
PropertyValue
Headwordusury
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈjuːʒəɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#50,879
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “usury” in English

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “untangle” (#50,878), “vacuous” (#50,880), “unreserved” (#50,877). Among 1,433 “U” headwords, “usury” is #50,879. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

usury is uncommon English at frequency #50,879 among 1,433 “U” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈjuːʒəɹi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for usury in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English usurie, from Latin ūsūria, from ūsūra (“lending at interest, usury”) from ūsus (“use”), from stem of ūtī (“to use”). Compare usurp and use. The correct English form is usury, spelled U-S-U-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An exorbitant rate of interest, in excess of any legal rates or at least immorally.
  2. 2
    The practice of lending money at such rates.
  3. 3
    The practice of lending money at interest.
  4. 4
    Profit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. As a practical matter, California usury laws do not seriously inconvenience most lenders, and offer little protection to most borrowers.
  2. In medieval Europe, Jews were often linked to usury and therefore persecuted by authorities.

Etymology

From Middle English usurie, from Latin ūsūria, from ūsūra (“lending at interest, usury”) from ūsus (“use”), from stem of ūtī (“to use”). Compare usurp and use.

Synonyms

oker

This word in other languages

usura(Español)usure(Français)Wucher(Deutsch)usura(Português)

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 "usury"?
"usury" is spelled U-S-U-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈjuːʒəɹi/.
What does "usury" mean?
As a noun, "usury" means: An exorbitant rate of interest, in excess of any legal rates or at least immorally.
How do you pronounce "usury"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "usury" is /ˈjuːʒəɹi/. 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 "usury"?
From Middle English usurie, from Latin ūsūria, from ūsūra (“lending at interest, usury”) from ūsus (“use”), from stem of ūtī (“to use”). Compare usurp and use. 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 "usury", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

twerk#50,863Aesop#50,922Thabo#50,836testy#50,835

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list