# gambit

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡæmbɪt/ · frequency rank #25,391

## Definitions
1. An opening in chess in which material is sacrificed to gain an advantage.
2. Any ploy or stratagem.
3. A remark intended to open a conversation.

## Etymology
From Italian gambetto (“act of tripping; gambit”), from Italian gamba (“leg”), from Late Latin gamba.

## Easily confused with
- **gamut** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gambit-vs-gamut)
- **gamble** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gambit-vs-gamble)
- **gait** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gait-vs-gambit)
- **gabi** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gabi-vs-gambit)
- **Gambia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gambia-vs-gambit)
- **Gambino** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gambino-vs-gambit)

## Common misspellings (9)
`agmbit`, `gabmit`, `gambbit`, `gambitt`, `gambti`, `gamibt`, `gammbit`, `ggambit`, `gmabit`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gambit