pusvspussyWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“pus” and “pussy” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,976
“pus” frequency rank
#30,210
“pussy” frequency rank
57186
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature pus pussy
Definition Sustancia blanquecina o amarillenta producida por el cuerpo durante procesos infecciosos. Está compuesto, principalmente, por microorganismos muertos, glóbulos blancos muertos, y restos de tejido dañado. Forma familiar y cariñosa para designar a un gatito.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pus and pussy apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
pus
5 ch
pussy

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. pus ([ˈpus]) and pussy (/ˈpʊsi/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “pus” sits inside “pussy”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57186, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

pus is recorded at frequency rank #26,976, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈpus]. pussy is at rank #30,210, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpʊsi/.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 57186, this pair ranks #71,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of pus vs pussy

Shared letters: psu. Private to "pus": -. Private to "pussy": y.

"pus" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "pussy" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • pussyppussy · psusy · pussyy · pusy · pusys · upssy

Frequency comparison

pus#26,976
pussy#30,210

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "pus" and "pussy" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈpus] versus /ˈpʊsi/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "pus" or "pussy"?
"pus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,976 in our Spanish list, against #30,210 for "pussy". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering pus vs pussy

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pus” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list