gangway

/ˈɡæŋweɪ/

//ˈɡæŋweɪ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gangway” is uncommon English (frequency #52,341 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#52,341
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A passageway through which to enter or leave.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gangway · gangway · English

gangway · rank #52,341 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #52,341
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gammon

Nearest frequency peer: gammon (-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 “gangway”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gangway
PropertyValue
Headwordgangway
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡæŋweɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#52,341
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gangway” 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).gangwayfalls 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: “gammon” (#52,340), “Gagnon” (#52,339), “GCHQ” (#52,343). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gangway” is #52,341. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gangway is uncommon English at frequency #52,341 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡæŋweɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 9 senses are on record.

gangway has no tracked misspelling variants, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gangway, from Old English gangweġ (“passageway; thoroughfare”), equivalent to gang + way. Related to Dutch gang (“hallway”) and Norwegian gang (“hallway”). The correct English form is gangway, spelled G-A-N-G-W-A-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A passageway through which to enter or leave.
  2. 2
    A passageway through which to enter or leave.
  3. 3
    A passageway through which to enter or leave.
  4. 4
    An articulating bridge or ramp, such as from land to a dock or a ship.
  5. 5
    A passage along either side of a ship's upper deck.
  6. 6
    A passage through the side of a ship or an opening in the railing through which the ship may be boarded; (also in later use) a jet bridge.
  7. 7
    A temporary passageway, such as one made of planks.
  8. 8
    A clear path through a crowd or a passageway with people.
  9. 9
    An earthen and plank ramp leading from the stable yard into the upper storey or mow of a dairy barn.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The new fleet of trains comes with widened gangways and improved seating.
  2. Morris then allegedly tried to flee into a gangway between the bar and another building, closing a gate on an officer as he did

Etymology

From Middle English gangway, from Old English gangweġ (“passageway; thoroughfare”), equivalent to gang + way. Related to Dutch gang (“hallway”) and Norwegian gang (“hallway”).

This word in other languages

corredor(Español)passerelle(Français)Gang(Deutsch)passagem(Português)

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 "gangway"?
"gangway" is spelled G-A-N-G-W-A-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡæŋweɪ/.
What does "gangway" mean?
As a noun, "gangway" means: A passageway through which to enter or leave.
How do you pronounce "gangway"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gangway" is /ˈɡæŋweɪ/. 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 "gangway"?
From Middle English gangway, from Old English gangweġ (“passageway; thoroughfare”), equivalent to gang + way. Related to Dutch gang (“hallway”) and Norwegian gang (“hallway”). 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 "gangway", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Hasidic#52,369Hindley#52,377hosiery#52,384emanate#52,292

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list