gamble

/ˈɡæm.bəl/

//ˈɡæm.bəl// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gamble” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,752. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,752
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A bet or wager.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gamble · gamble · English

gamble · rank #9,752 · 9 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,752
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH fuller

Nearest frequency peer: fuller (-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 “gamble”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gamble” 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).

gamble vs game
67% similar
gamble vs Gayle
50% similar
gamble vs gobble
67% similar

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

Key facts for gamble
PropertyValue
Headwordgamble
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡæm.bəl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,752
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gamble”

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).gamblelands 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 “fuller” (#9,751), “goalkeeper” (#9,753), “flooded” (#9,750). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gamble” is #9,752. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around gamble (IPA /ˈɡæm.bəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,752 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for gamble, with forms such as "agmble", "gabmle", and "gambble". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "game", "Gayle", "gobble", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From earlier gamel, from Middle English *gamlen, *gamelen, variant of Middle English gamenen, from Old English gæmnian, gamnian, gamenian (“to joke; play”), related to Old English gamen (“joy; mirth; pleasure; entertainment; pastime; sport; game”), equivale… The correct English form is gamble, spelled G-A-M-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bet or wager.
  2. 2
    A significant risk, undertaken with a potential gain.
  3. 3
    A risky venture.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I had a gamble on the horses last weekend.
  2. The sailors had taken many gambles with the sea and always won.

Etymology

From earlier gamel, from Middle English *gamlen, *gamelen, variant of Middle English gamenen, from Old English gæmnian, gamnian, gamenian (“to joke; play”), related to Old English gamen (“joy; mirth; pleasure; entertainment; pastime; sport; game”), equivalent to game + -le. Compare Old Danish gammel, Middle High German gamel (“pleasure; fun”). More at game.

This word in other languages

apuesta(Español)pari(Français)Glücksspiel(Deutsch)aposta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agmble
  • gabmle
  • gambble
  • gambel
  • gamblle
  • gamlbe
  • gammble
  • ggamble
  • gmable

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gamble - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

agmble2gabmle2gambble1gambel2gamblle1gamlbe2gammble1ggamble1
Edit distance from "gamble"

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 "gamble"?
"gamble" is spelled G-A-M-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡæm.bəl/.
What does "gamble" mean?
As a noun, "gamble" means: A bet or wager.
What words are commonly confused with "gamble"?
"gamble" is commonly confused with "game", "Gayle", "gobble". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gamble"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gamble" is /ˈɡæm.bəl/. 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 "gamble"?
From earlier gamel, from Middle English *gamlen, *gamelen, variant of Middle English gamenen, from Old English gæmnian, gamnian, gamenian (“to joke; play”), related to Old English gamen (“joy; mirth; pleasure; entertainment; pastime; sport; game”)... 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 "gamble", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fuller#9,751devils#9,734Darren#9,730dances#9,729

Similar misspelling depth

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

loudly9 variantsmodify9 variantsbubbles9 variantsBrexit9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list