susto

[ˈsust̪o]

/[ˈsust̪o]/ noun

The verdict

“susto” is a regularly-used Spanish word, ranked #9,548 in Spanish word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,548
frequency rank, Spanish
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Conmoción repentina del ánimo producida por el miedo y la sorpresa.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

susto vs suyo
60% similar
susto vs sustos
83% similar
susto vs sus
60% similar

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

Key facts for susto
PropertyValue
Headwordsusto
LanguageSpanish
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈsust̪o]
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,548
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “susto” sits in Spanish frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The Spanish entry for susto is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈsust̪o]. Corpus data places it at rank #9,548 in overall Spanish word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Conmoción repentina del ánimo producida por el miedo y la sorpresa.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for susto, with forms such as "ssusto", "ssuto", and "susot". 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, "suyo", "sustos", "sus", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct Spanish form is susto, spelled S-U-S-T-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Conmoción repentina del ánimo producida por el miedo y la sorpresa.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ssusto,ssuto,susot,sussto,sustto,sutso,ussto

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ssusto1ssuto2susot2sussto1sustto1sutso2ussto2
Edit distance from "susto"

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 Spanish corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "susto"?
"susto" is spelled S-U-S-T-O. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈsust̪o].
What does "susto" mean?
As a noun, "susto" means: Conmoción repentina del ánimo producida por el miedo y la sorpresa.
What words are commonly confused with "susto"?
"susto" is commonly confused with "suyo", "sustos", "sus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "susto"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "susto" is [ˈsust̪o]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "susto" come from?
"susto" is a Spanish word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “susto”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct Spanish spelling is S-U-S-T-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈsust̪o] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “suyo” - see the side-by-side comparison. susto vs suyo
  • Browse more Spanish words and confusable pairs in the same reference. Spanish words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list