how to spell zhuzh - by Ellie Kime
It’s the pre-eminent question of our times: how the hell do we spell zhuzh? You know the word: to fluff things up, prettify, to add a little…spice. As the perfect middle of the Venn diagram for this investigation — linguist, lover of a deep internet rabbithole, serial zhuzher — I thought I’d collate some of the options. (Maybe this can be my Mona Lisa; maybe one day it’ll end up on
. Also, you know…maybe not.)So we all know what we’re talking about, right? The word that means this:
UK /ʒʊʒ/ US /ʒʊʒ/ [verb]
to make something more interesting or attractive by changing it slightly or adding something to it:
The stylist said he would zhuzh up the outfit with a hat.
Here’s some different ways to spell it, depending on your preference…
zhuzh: dictionary-approved, normcore, officially an answer on the NYT Mini Crossword with the definition “give a little extra flair, with up”
zhoosh, jhoosh: the Polari spelling, a language variety that originated amongst sailors in the 18th century but flourished in the 20th century as a secret language used by gay men
tszuj: as popularised by the Style fifth of the original Queer Eye lineup, Carson Kressley. Spelt as such because he “assumed it was a Yiddish word”
juj: taking the zsh sound from Jacques (Phoebe voice: I LOVE JACQUES COUSTEAU) and Jean Valjean (24601)
jjuj: as chosen by arguably the Queen of it all, Mariah Carey
zhujzh: my preferred spelling before I did this deepdive, because I think the j just zhuzjhes it up slightly (love that I’ve just put myself next to Mariah Carey lol)
geuge: taking the lead from the zsh sound of beige and garage
sioosu: taking the zsh sound from Asia and measure
Any I’ve missed?
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