gamey

/ˈɡeɪmi/

//ˈɡeɪmi// adj

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

"gamey" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gamey” is uncommon English (frequency #85,278 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#85,278
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having the smell, taste and texture of game meat.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gamey · gamey · English

gamey · rank #85,278 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #85,278
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gamesmanship

Nearest frequency peer: gamesmanship (-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 “gamey”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gamey
PropertyValue
Headwordgamey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡeɪmi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#85,278
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gamey” in English

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).gameyfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “gamesmanship” (#85,277), “gabel” (#85,275), “garnets” (#85,282). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gamey” is #85,278. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gamey is uncommon English at frequency #85,278 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɡeɪmi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for gamey, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From game + -y. The correct English form is gamey, spelled G-A-M-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the smell, taste and texture of game meat.
  2. 2
    Plucky, spirited or gritty.
  3. 3
    Risque, sordid or sexually suggestive.
  4. 4
    Involving in-game actions or behaviour that break immersion or contradict common sense in favour of exploiting game mechanics.

Etymology

From game + -y.

This word in other languages

faisandé(Français)Wild-(Deutsch)

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 "gamey"?
"gamey" is spelled G-A-M-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡeɪmi/.
What does "gamey" mean?
As an adjective, "gamey" means: Having the smell, taste and texture of game meat.
How do you pronounce "gamey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gamey" is /ˈɡeɪmi/. 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 "gamey"?
From game + -y. 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 "gamey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gabel#85,275Furby#85,271Funes#85,270Grint#85,307

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list