gamelan

/ˈɡæməˌlæn/

//ˈɡæməˌlæn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gamelan” is uncommon English (frequency #91,545 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,545
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A genre of music of Indonesian origin typically featuring metallophones, xylophones, drums, gongs and a bamboo flute (called a suling).

Corpus desk

Index EN-gamelan · gamelan · English

gamelan · rank #91,545 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,545
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gandolfini

Nearest frequency peer: Gandolfini (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “gamelan”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “gamelan” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gamelan
PropertyValue
Headwordgamelan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡæməˌlæn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#91,545
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gamelan” in English

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).gamelanfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Gandolfini” (#91,546), “gamechanger” (#91,543), “gaped” (#91,547). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gamelan” is #91,545. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gamelan is uncommon English at frequency #91,545 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡæməˌlæn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for gamelan in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Javanese gamelan, from Old Javanese gamĕlan. The correct English form is gamelan, spelled G-A-M-E-L-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A genre of music of Indonesian origin typically featuring metallophones, xylophones, drums, gongs and a bamboo flute (called a suling).
  2. 2
    An ensemble performing this style of music.

Etymology

Borrowed from Javanese gamelan, from Old Javanese gamĕlan.

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 "gamelan"?
"gamelan" is spelled G-A-M-E-L-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡæməˌlæn/.
What does "gamelan" mean?
As a noun, "gamelan" means: A genre of music of Indonesian origin typically featuring metallophones, xylophones, drums, gongs and a bamboo flute (called a suling).
How do you pronounce "gamelan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gamelan" is /ˈɡæməˌlæn/. 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 "gamelan"?
Borrowed from Javanese gamelan, from Old Javanese gamĕlan. 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 "gamelan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Galante#91,538fulness#91,536gestion#91,563ghrelin#91,564

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list