This A–Z collection covers 998 cute words from across the English language. The selection includes sweet, playful, and charming terms, from everyday favorites to rare gems.

Cute words are short, soft, or silly-sounding terms that make people smile when they say or hear them. They often have gentle sounds, bouncy rhythms, or meanings tied to affection, small things, and comfort. Some come from baby talk, others from old dialects or foreign languages. People use them in poems, stories, nicknames, and daily chats to add warmth and humor.

Interesting and little-known facts about Cute words:

• The word “cute” began as a shortened form of “acute” in the 1730s and first meant clever or sharp.
• Many cute words, such as “bumble” and “fluff,” rely on sounds that copy movement or texture.
• “Snuggle” dates to the 1600s, and “cuddle” appeared in English around the 1520s.
• Words with repeated sounds, like “teeny-weeny” and “boo-boo,” are among the first that children learn.
• “Kawaii,” from Japanese, is now widely used in English to describe anything adorably cute.
• Studies of word sounds suggest that soft “m,” “l,” and “oo” sounds feel friendlier than harsh ones.

Browse the alphabetical index below to find every word by its first letter. Each page lists the name of the word, its etymology, its definition, and a short description of how people use it.