"Accute" is not the correct spelling, and the correct spelling is "acute." "Acute" is an English adjective that is used to describe situations or conditions that are characterized by being sharp, severe, intense, or having a sudden onset. Here are some common ways "acute" can be understood:
- Severe or intense: When something is described as "acute," it means that it is highly severe or intense. For example, "acute pain" refers to a very sharp and intense pain.
- Sudden onset: "Acute" can also indicate that a condition or symptom has appeared suddenly and is typically of short duration. For instance, "acute illness" refers to an illness that comes on suddenly and is usually intense but short-lived.
- Keen perception: In a different context, "acute" can describe someone's ability to perceive or understand things very well or quickly. An "acute mind" implies a sharp or keen intellect.
- Narrow angle: In geometry and trigonometry, "acute" is used to describe an angle that is less than 90 degrees, which means it is sharp or narrow compared to a right angle.
Through the Google Books Ngram Viewer, we can see that acute has a much higher use than its misspelling accute in Google’s database of published books in both American and British English since the year 1800.
The misspelling of "acute" as "accute" may occur because some words in English do contain two "c"s. People might mistakenly apply this pattern to "acute" because it appears consistent with other words that have similar sounds or spellings, such as "accurate," "accent," or "account."
Example sentences
- The patient experienced acute pain in his chest, which prompted a visit to the emergency room.
- Her acute sense of hearing allowed her to detect even the faintest of sounds.
- The company faced an acute shortage of skilled workers, which affected production.
- When she saw the snake, her acute fear paralyzed her, and she couldn't move.
- The acute angle formed by the two walls of the room made it challenging to arrange furniture.
- The detective's acute observations led to the quick resolution of the complex case.
- The doctor diagnosed the child with acute bronchitis, and prescribed medication to alleviate the symptoms.
- His acute intelligence and problem-solving skills made him a valuable asset to the research team.
- The sudden and acute onset of the storm caught everyone by surprise.
- The teacher praised the student for his acute understanding of the difficult math concept.
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