GABA

/ˈɡæbə/

//ˈɡæbə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"gaba" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“GABA” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,308. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,308
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Acronym of gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gaba · GABA · English

GABA · rank #35,308 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #35,308
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gannon

Nearest frequency peer: Gannon (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “GABA”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “GABA” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

GABA vs GB
50% similar
GABA vs gas
0% similar
GABA vs Gay
25% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for GABA
PropertyValue
HeadwordGABA
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡæbə/
Letters4
Frequency rank#35,308
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “GABA”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).GABAlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Gannon” (#35,309), “gaol” (#35,310), “Fredericksburg” (#35,305). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “GABA” is #35,308. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around GABA (IPA /ˈɡæbə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,308 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Acronym of gamma-aminobutyric acid.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for GABA, with forms such as "agba", "gaab", and "gabba". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "GB", "gas", "Gay", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is GABA, spelled G-A-B-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Acronym of gamma-aminobutyric acid.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how GABA appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. [Valium] was followed by many imitators, all sharing the same pharmacological mechanism, which is to enhance the actions of the key inhibitory brain chemical messenger GABA.
  2. Its action as an inhibitor also distinguishes GABA from the “big three” amines—dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin—which generally stimulate brain circuits.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agba
  • gaab
  • gabba
  • gbaa
  • ggaba

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of GABA - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

agba2gaab2gabba1gbaa2ggaba1
Edit distance from "GABA"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "GABA"?
"GABA" is spelled G-A-B-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡæbə/.
What does "GABA" mean?
As a noun, "GABA" means: Acronym of gamma-aminobutyric acid.
What words are commonly confused with "GABA"?
"GABA" is commonly confused with "GB", "gas", "Gay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "GABA"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "GABA" is /ˈɡæbə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "GABA" come from?
"GABA" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "GABA", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gaol#35,310hock#35,339husk#35,345Kath#35,374

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (5 here; floor ≥5).

Kita5 variantsbonny5 variantsNAMI5 variantsAbner5 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list