gabel

/ˈɡeɪbəl/

//ˈɡeɪbəl// noun

"gabel" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gabel” is uncommon English (frequency #85,275 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,275
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any rent, charge, tribute, custom, tax, duty, excise etc.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gabel · gabel · English

gabel · rank #85,275 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,275
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gamesmanship

Nearest frequency peer: gamesmanship (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “gabel”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “gabel” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gabel
PropertyValue
Headwordgabel
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡeɪbəl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#85,275
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gabel” in English

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).gabelfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “gamesmanship” (#85,277), “gamey” (#85,278), “Furby” (#85,271). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gabel” is #85,275. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gabel is uncommon English at frequency #85,275 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡeɪbəl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for gabel, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French gabelle, from Late Latin gabella, gabulum, gablum; of uncertain origin. Compare gavel (“tribute”). The correct English form is gabel, spelled G-A-B-E-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any rent, charge, tribute, custom, tax, duty, excise etc.
  2. 2
    Obsolete spelling of gable

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He enables St. Peter to pay his gabel by the ministry of a fish.
  2. The same Imposition might also be made on the Tin spent at home, unless it be as impossible so to do, as for the King of France to impose the Gabel upon Salt in the very places where it is made.

Etymology

From French gabelle, from Late Latin gabella, gabulum, gablum; of uncertain origin. Compare gavel (“tribute”).

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 "gabel"?
"gabel" is spelled G-A-B-E-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡeɪbəl/.
What does "gabel" mean?
As a noun, "gabel" means: Any rent, charge, tribute, custom, tax, duty, excise etc.
How do you pronounce "gabel"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gabel" is /ˈɡeɪbəl/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "gabel"?
From French gabelle, from Late Latin gabella, gabulum, gablum; of uncertain origin. Compare gavel (“tribute”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
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 "gabel", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list