gangster
gang·ster/ˈɡæŋ.stəː/noun, verb, adjective
gangster is spelled G-A-N-G-S-T-E-R, 2 syllables: gang·ster. The wrong spelling people search most is ganster: about 300 Bing searches a month in the United States (September 2025 to August 2026), about 1 in 10 of all searches for the word. Gangster is a noun meaning “A member of a criminal or street gang”. The plural of gangster is gangsters.
How many letters and syllables are in gangster?
| Letters | 8: G-A-N-G-S-T-E-R |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: gang·ster |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | 1; the most searched, ganster, about 300 Bing searches a month (all of them) |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How do you spell gangster?
Gangster is spelled G-A-N-G-S-T-E-R. One wrong spelling is searched or written often enough to measure; together they are about 1 in 10 of the searches for gangster in either form.
Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026). Wrong spellings are taken from Wiktionary entries tagged "misspelling" and its obsolete or nonstandard forms, Wikipedia's Lists of common misspellings and the codespell dictionary, then measured. The proofreader's marks show the change that corrects each one.
How common is gangster?
Gangster appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce gangster?
- UK /ˈɡæŋ.stəː/
- UK [ˈɡæŋ.stəː]
- /ˈɡæŋ.stɚ/
Gangster has 2 syllables, split gang·ster in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gangster.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gangster
- gangsters plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- gangsta
- gangstering participle, present
- gangstered participle, past
- more gangster comparative
- most gangster superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gangster mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A member of a criminal or street gang.
- 2
A member of a professional criminal organization (in organized crime): a racketeer.
verb
- 1
To act like a gangster; to commit street crime or run a racket.
adjective
- 1
slangCharacteristic of a gangster; (especially) admirable and audacious.
- 2
slangOn friendly terms; cool.
We put an end to our beef. We're all gangster now.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate gangster?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of gangster: g.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gangster in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense street gang member:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | gangster, bandit |
| German | Gangster, Bandit |
| Portuguese | gângster |
| Spanish | gángster, pandillero, marero, gánster, bandido, alaraco |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does gangster come from?
From gang + -ster. First attested in 1884.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).