gallows

/ˈɡæləʊz/

//ˈɡæləʊz// noun

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

"gallows" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gallows” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,095. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,095
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gallows · gallows · English

gallows · rank #26,095 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,095
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gags

Nearest frequency peer: gags (-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 “gallows”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gallows” 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).

gallows vs glows
71% similar
gallows vs Gallo
57% similar
gallows vs gallon
71% similar

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

Key facts for gallows
PropertyValue
Headwordgallows
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡæləʊz/
Letters7
Frequency rank#26,095
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gallows”

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).gallowslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “gags” (#26,094), “Gandalf” (#26,096), “gable” (#26,093). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gallows” is #26,095. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around gallows (IPA /ˈɡæləʊz/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,095 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for gallows, with forms such as "agllows", "gallosw", and "gallowss". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "glows", "Gallo", "gallon", 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 galwes, galewes, plural of galwe, galowe, from Old English galga, gealga, from Proto-West Germanic *galgō, from Proto-Germanic *galgô, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰalgʰ-, *ǵʰalg- (“long switch, rod, shaft, pole, perch”). The plural constr… The correct English form is gallows, spelled G-A-L-L-O-W-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.
  2. 2
    A wretch who deserves to be hanged.
  3. 3
    The rest for the tympan when raised.
  4. 4
    Suspenders; braces.
  5. 5
    Any contrivance with posts and crossbeam for suspending objects.
  6. 6
    The main frame of a beam engine.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Near-synonym: gibbet
  2. No, Sir, 'tis fear of Hanging. Who would not ſteal, or do Murder, every time his Fingers itch'd at it, were it not for fear of the Gallows?

Etymology

From Middle English galwes, galewes, plural of galwe, galowe, from Old English galga, gealga, from Proto-West Germanic *galgō, from Proto-Germanic *galgô, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰalgʰ-, *ǵʰalg- (“long switch, rod, shaft, pole, perch”). The plural construction probably refers to the vertical and horizontal beams. Compare West Frisian galge, Dutch galg, German Galgen, Danish galge, Icelandic gálgi. For the pronunciation /ˈɡæləs/, compare bellows, bodice.

Synonyms

gallows treegallow treehanging treegibbetcrookgallowsnubbing cheatTyburn tree

This word in other languages

horca(Español)gibet(Français)Galgen(Deutsch)patíbulo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agllows
  • gallosw
  • gallowss
  • gallowws
  • gallwos
  • galolws
  • galows
  • ggallows
  • glalows

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gallows - 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.

agllows2gallosw2gallowss1gallowws1gallwos2galolws2galows1ggallows1
Edit distance from "gallows"

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 "gallows"?
"gallows" is spelled G-A-L-L-O-W-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡæləʊz/.
What does "gallows" mean?
As a noun, "gallows" means: A wooden framework on which persons are executed by hanging.
What words are commonly confused with "gallows"?
"gallows" is commonly confused with "glows", "Gallo", "gallon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gallows"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gallows" is /ˈɡæləʊz/. 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 "gallows"?
From Middle English galwes, galewes, plural of galwe, galowe, from Old English galga, gealga, from Proto-West Germanic *galgō, from Proto-Germanic *galgô, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰalgʰ-, *ǵʰalg- (“long switch, rod, shaft, pole, perch”). The plu... 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 "gallows", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Gandalf#26,096Felicia#26,087gunning#26,103hatchet#26,108

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

fished9 variantsguilds9 variantshilltop9 variantsdreary9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list