ganja

/ˈɡɑn.d͡ʒɑ/

//ˈɡɑn.d͡ʒɑ// noun

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

The verdict

“ganja” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #40,709. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#40,709
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Marijuana, the inflorescence of the Cannabis sativa plant, smoked or ingested for euphoric effect.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ganja · ganja · English

ganja · rank #40,709 · 7 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #40,709
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH genial

Nearest frequency peer: genial (+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 “ganja”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “ganja” 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).

ganja vs Gaza
40% similar
ganja vs gina
60% similar
ganja vs Gaya
40% similar

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

Key facts for ganja
PropertyValue
Headwordganja
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɑn.d͡ʒɑ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#40,709
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ganja”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).ganjalands 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 “genial” (#40,710), “geophysics” (#40,711), “Gaffney” (#40,706). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “ganja” is #40,709. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around ganja (IPA /ˈɡɑn.d͡ʒɑ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #40,709 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Marijuana, the inflorescence of the Cannabis sativa plant, smoked or ingested for euphoric effect.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ganja, with forms such as "agnja", "gajna", and "ganaj". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "Gaza", "gina", "Gaya", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hindi गांजा (gāñjā), ultimately from Sanskrit गञ्जा (gañjā, “hemp”). First use appears c. 1800. The correct English form is ganja, spelled G-A-N-J-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marijuana, the inflorescence of the Cannabis sativa plant, smoked or ingested for euphoric effect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Whilst a ganja-eater was catching fish on the bank of a river, a man from another country came and asked which was the road and what was his name; he replied that his name was "eater of six maunds of ganja."
  2. There were altogether 2,202 admissions to the five asylums of this province during that time, and of that number it was ascertained that 641 were ganja smokers, 117 were spirit drinkers, and 8 were opium-eaters, the percentages being ganja 291 spririts 5'8, opium 036 per cent.

Etymology

Borrowed from Hindi गांजा (gāñjā), ultimately from Sanskrit गञ्जा (gañjā, “hemp”). First use appears c. 1800.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • agnja
  • gajna
  • ganaj
  • ganjja
  • gannja
  • gganja
  • gnaja

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ganja - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

agnja2gajna2ganaj2ganjja1gannja1gganja1gnaja2
Edit distance from "ganja"

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 "ganja"?
"ganja" is spelled G-A-N-J-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɑn.d͡ʒɑ/.
What does "ganja" mean?
As a noun, "ganja" means: Marijuana, the inflorescence of the Cannabis sativa plant, smoked or ingested for euphoric effect.
What words are commonly confused with "ganja"?
"ganja" is commonly confused with "Gaza", "gina", "Gaya". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ganja"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ganja" is /ˈɡɑn.d͡ʒɑ/. 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 "ganja"?
Borrowed from Hindi गांजा (gāñjā), ultimately from Sanskrit गञ्जा (gañjā, “hemp”). First use appears c. 1800. 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 "ganja", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list