Spelling.School · How to spell

How to spell usage

hear itus·age/'jusɪdʒ/nounSilent and tricky

What it means: accepted or habitual practice

In a sentence: The teacher explained the usage of each word clearly.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as useage or usige.

Same family: used, useful, useless, user, using. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Usage” comes from Old French “us” or “usage,” from Latin “usus,” meaning “use” or “habit.” In English, it not only means how something is used, but is also a traditional term in dictionaries and style guides for how words and grammar are commonly used in real life.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

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