The true spelling of the fuschia plant is actually fuchsia
People who speak German have an advantage:
the fuschia plant name honors a certain “Mr. Fox”: FUCHS in German
A personal favorite to remember the spelling is:
“I know there are three letters S, C and H jumbled in there, and their order is alphabetical : CHS !”
Did you know?
The genus was named by the French missionary-botanist Charles Plumier, who described Fuchsia triphylla on Hispaniola in the 1690s and published the name in 1703, dedicating it to the 16th-century German physician and botanist Leonhart Fuchs.
Fuchsia belongs to the Onagraceae, the willowherb and evening primrose family, which also includes Clarkia and Oenothera.
Four memory tricks compared
The article offers several different ways of fixing the correct spelling in your head. Pick whichever one suits the way you remember things.
Any one of them is enough to stop you writing fuschia again.
Fuschia spelling tipsA simple way to remember the correct spelling is to write the first letter from each of the following words:
The correct spelling is fuchsia, not fuschia
F uchsia’sU niqueC orrectH orticulturalS pellingI sA rduous!
The sentence thus runs: “Fuchsia’s Unique Correct Horticultural Spelling Is Arduous!
Lastly, what may help is get frustrated and vulgar :
“I don’t give a fuc* how it’s spelled!”… and replace the star with the correct letter!
Another wrong spelling is fushia .
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it fuschia or fuchsia?
Fuchsia is the correct spelling; fuschia is a very common mistake. The confusion comes from the letters S, C and H, which are easy to jumble. If you can remember that those three letters appear in alphabetical order — CHS — you will get it right every time.
Why is fuchsia spelled with a “ch”?
The plant’s name honours a certain “Mr. Fox”, and fox in German is Fuchs. German speakers therefore have a head start, because the odd-looking FUCHS- opening is simply a surname. Keep the German word in mind and the spelling stops feeling arbitrary.
Is “fushia” an acceptable spelling?
No — fushia is another wrong spelling, alongside fuschia. It drops the c altogether, whereas the correct word keeps all three of S, C and H. Only fuchsia is right.
What is the easiest way to remember how to spell fuchsia?
One approach is to build the word from the first letter of each word in a sentence you can recite: “Fuchsia’s Unique Correct Horticultural Spelling Is Arduous!” Spell out those initials and you have the word. If that feels laboured, the rude four-letter word with the star replaced by the right letter works just as well.
Images: Pixabay: Annette Meyer, Sasa Begovic
Written by Gaspard Lorthiois | Loves helping out, especially when it comes to growing things. Worked in herbal medicine, runs a farm, and dabbles in tech. Master's degree and engineer.
