gape

/ˈɡeɪp/

//ˈɡeɪp// verb

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

"gape" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gape” is uncommon English (frequency #50,530 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,530
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily, as in a yawn, anger, or surprise.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gape · gape · English

gape · rank #50,530 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,530
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ganz

Nearest frequency peer: Ganz (-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 “gape”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gape
PropertyValue
Headwordgape
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɡeɪp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#50,530
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gape” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).gapefalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Ganz” (#50,529), “Geraint” (#50,532), “gainer” (#50,526). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gape” is #50,530. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gape is uncommon English at frequency #50,530 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɡeɪp/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for gape, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa (“to gape”) (compare Swedish gapa, Danish gabe), from Proto-Germanic *gapōną (descendants Middle English geapen, Dutch gapen, German gaffen), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰеh₂b-. Cognates include Russian … The correct English form is gape, spelled G-A-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily, as in a yawn, anger, or surprise.
  2. 2
    To stare in wonder.
  3. 3
    To open wide; to display a gap.
  4. 4
    To open the passage to the vomeronasal organ, analogous to the flehming in other animals.
  5. 5
    To depict a dilated anal or vaginal cavity upon penetrative sexual activity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1723, Jonathan Swift, The Journal of a Modern Lady, 1810, Samuel Johnson, The Works of the English Poets, from Chaucer to Cowper, Volume 11, page 467, She stretches, gapes, unglues her eyes, / And asks if it be time to rise;
  2. Eustace gaped at him in amazement. When his urbanity dropped away from him, as now, he had an innocence of expression which was almost infantile. It was as if the world had never touched him at all.

Etymology

From Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa (“to gape”) (compare Swedish gapa, Danish gabe), from Proto-Germanic *gapōną (descendants Middle English geapen, Dutch gapen, German gaffen), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰеh₂b-. Cognates include Russian зяпа (zjapa). Doublet of gap.

This word in other languages

boquear(Español)bayer(Français)klaffen(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 "gape"?
"gape" is spelled G-A-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡeɪp/.
What does "gape" mean?
As a verb, "gape" means: To open the mouth wide, especially involuntarily, as in a yawn, anger, or surprise.
How do you pronounce "gape"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gape" is /ˈɡeɪp/. 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 "gape"?
From Middle English gapen, from Old Norse gapa (“to gape”) (compare Swedish gapa, Danish gabe), from Proto-Germanic *gapōną (descendants Middle English geapen, Dutch gapen, German gaffen), perhaps from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰеh₂b-. Cognates includ... 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 "gape", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Ganz#50,529Gobi#50,537foto#50,517fain#50,503

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list