galley

/ˈɡæli/

//ˈɡæli// noun

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

"galley" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“galley” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,806. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,806
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A long, slender ship propelled primarily by oars, whether having masts and sails or not; usually a rowed warship used in the Mediterranean from the 16th century until the modern era.

Corpus desk

Index EN-galley · galley · English

galley · rank #21,806 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,806
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gage

Nearest frequency peer: gage (-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 “galley”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “galley” 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).

galley vs Gayle
50% similar
galley vs gully
67% similar
galley vs Gallo
50% similar

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

Key facts for galley
PropertyValue
Headwordgalley
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡæli/
Letters6
Frequency rank#21,806
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “galley”

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).galleylands 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 “gage” (#21,805), “Galway” (#21,807), “fullback” (#21,804). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “galley” is #21,806. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around galley (IPA /ˈɡæli/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #21,806 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for galley, with forms such as "aglley", "galely", and "galey". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Gayle", "gully", "Gallo", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English galeie, from Old French galee, from Latin galea, from Byzantine Greek γάλεα (gálea) of unknown origin, probably from Ancient Greek γαλέη (galéē), a kind of a small fish, from γαλεός (galeós, “dog-fish or small shark”). The correct English form is galley, spelled G-A-L-L-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, slender ship propelled primarily by oars, whether having masts and sails or not; usually a rowed warship used in the Mediterranean from the 16th century until the modern era.
  2. 2
    A light, open boat used on the Thames by customhouse officers, press gangs, and also for pleasure.
  3. 3
    One of the small boats carried by a man-of-war.
  4. 4
    The cookroom or kitchen and cooking apparatus of a vessel or aircraft; sometimes on merchant vessels called the caboose.
  5. 5
    An oblong oven or muffle with a battery of retorts; a gallery furnace.
  6. 6
    An oblong tray of wood or brass, with upright sides, for holding type which has been set, or is to be made up, etc.
  7. 7
    A proof sheet taken from type while on a galley; a galley proof.
  8. 8
    A representation of a single-masted ship propelled by oars, with three flags and a basket.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It was very nerve-racking. When I was finally able to write the story, I wrote it at the typewriter and never reread it until I had to edit the typos on the printer's galleys for the publication of the book.

Etymology

From Middle English galeie, from Old French galee, from Latin galea, from Byzantine Greek γάλεα (gálea) of unknown origin, probably from Ancient Greek γαλέη (galéē), a kind of a small fish, from γαλεός (galeós, “dog-fish or small shark”).

Synonyms

lymphad

This word in other languages

galera(Español)galère(Français)Galeere(Deutsch)galera(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • aglley
  • galely
  • galey
  • galleyy
  • gallye
  • ggalley
  • glaley

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of galley - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

aglley2galely2galey1galleyy1gallye2ggalley1glaley2
Edit distance from "galley"

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 "galley"?
"galley" is spelled G-A-L-L-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡæli/.
What does "galley" mean?
As a noun, "galley" means: A long, slender ship propelled primarily by oars, whether having masts and sails or not; usually a rowed warship used in the Mediterranean from the 16th century until the modern era.
What words are commonly confused with "galley"?
"galley" is commonly confused with "Gayle", "gully", "Gallo". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "galley"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "galley" is /ˈɡæli/. 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 "galley"?
From Middle English galeie, from Old French galee, from Latin galea, from Byzantine Greek γάλεα (gálea) of unknown origin, probably from Ancient Greek γαλέη (galéē), a kind of a small fish, from γαλεός (galeós, “dog-fish or small shark”). 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 "galley", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Galway#21,807Grover#21,814Farage#21,793hentai#21,822

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Hamid7 variantsfeces7 variantsHeinz7 variantsKimmel7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list