gage

/ɡeɪd͡ʒ/

//ɡeɪd͡ʒ// verb

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

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

The verdict

“gage” has 5 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,805. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,805
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
5
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To bind (someone) by pledge or security; to engage.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gage · gage · English

gage · rank #21,805 · 5 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,805
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 5 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH fullback

Nearest frequency peer: fullback (-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 “gage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gage” 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).

gage vs ge
50% similar
gage vs gg
50% similar
gage vs gas
50% similar

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

Key facts for gage
PropertyValue
Headwordgage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɡeɪd͡ʒ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#21,805
Misspellings tracked5
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gage”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).gagelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “fullback” (#21,804), “galley” (#21,806), “fuji” (#21,803). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gage” is #21,805. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 5 spelling variants around gage (IPA /ɡeɪd͡ʒ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #21,805 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for gage, with forms such as "agge", "gaeg", and "gagge". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "ge", "gg", "gas", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gage, from later Old French or early Middle French gager (verb), (also guagier in Old French) gage (noun), ultimately from Frankish *waddi, from Proto-Germanic *wadją (whence English wed). Doublet of wage, from the same origin through th… The correct English form is gage, spelled G-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To bind (someone) by pledge or security; to engage.
  2. 2
    To bet or wager (something).
  3. 3
    To deposit or give (something) as a pledge or security; to pawn.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Great debts / Wherein my time, sometimes too prodigal, / Hath left me gaged.
  2. O doe not goe, this feaſt (I'le gage my life) / Is but a plot to trayne you to your ruine, / Be rul'd, you ſha'not goe.

Etymology

From Middle English gage, from later Old French or early Middle French gager (verb), (also guagier in Old French) gage (noun), ultimately from Frankish *waddi, from Proto-Germanic *wadją (whence English wed). Doublet of wage, from the same origin through the Old Northern French variant wage. See also mortgage.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agge
  • gaeg
  • gagge
  • ggae
  • ggage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gage - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

agge2gaeg2gagge1ggae2ggage1
Edit distance from "gage"

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 "gage"?
"gage" is spelled G-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡeɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "gage" mean?
As a verb, "gage" means: To bind (someone) by pledge or security; to engage.
What words are commonly confused with "gage"?
"gage" is commonly confused with "ge", "gg", "gas". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gage" is /ɡeɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "gage"?
From Middle English gage, from later Old French or early Middle French gager (verb), (also guagier in Old French) gage (noun), ultimately from Frankish *waddi, from Proto-Germanic *wadją (whence English wed). Doublet of wage, from the same origin ... 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 "gage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fuji#21,803incl#21,828Ctrl#21,768lear#21,846

Similar misspelling depth

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

kiddo5 variantsclam5 variantsploy5 variantspuma5 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list