gannet
/ˈɡænɪt/noun, verb
gannet is spelled G-A-N-N-E-T: 6 letters. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,122nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, gannet means “Any of three species of large seabird in the genus Morus, of the family Sulidae. They have black and white bodies and long pointed wings, and hunt…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of gannet is gannets.
How many letters and syllables are in gannet?
| Letters | 6: G-A-N-N-E-T |
|---|---|
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 74,122nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is gannet?
Gannet appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 74,122nd 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 gannet?
- UK /ˈɡænɪt/
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-gannet.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of gannet
- gannets plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- ganneting participle, present
- ganneted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does gannet mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Any of three species of large seabird in the genus Morus, of the family Sulidae. They have black and white bodies and long pointed wings, and hunt for fish by plunge diving and pursuing their prey underwater.
- 2
UKA voracious eater; a glutton.
verb
- 1
UKinformalTo wolf down, gobble or eat (something) voraciously.
She was no longer in the company of her older sister and mother who had often scolded her for ganneting down her food.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Gannet in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense sea bird:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | fou |
| German | Basstölpel, Tölpel |
| Portuguese | alcatraz |
| Spanish | alcatraz |
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 gannet come from?
From Middle English ganet, gante, from Old English ganot, from Proto-West Germanic *ganat, *ganatō, from Proto-Germanic *ganatuz, *ganutô (“gander”), ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *ganzô.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).