gas

/ɡæs/

//ɡæs// noun

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

"gas" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gas” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #1,051) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#1,051
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble of liquid, or held together by gravitational pull); it can ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-gas · gas · English

gas · rank #1,051 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,051
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH expect

Nearest frequency peer: expect (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “gas”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “gas” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

gas vs go
33% similar
gas vs GM
0% similar
gas vs GB
0% similar

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

Key facts for gas
PropertyValue
Headwordgas
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡæs/
Letters3
Frequency rank#1,051
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “gas”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “expect” (#1,050), “island” (#1,052), “double” (#1,049). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gas” is #1,051. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for gas is neighbouring look-alikes ("go", "GM", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ɡæs/. Frequency #1,051 among 2,313 “G” headwords. 11 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

gas has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "go", "GM", "GB", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Dutch gas, coined by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in Ortus Medicinae. Derived from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, “chasm, void, empty space”); perhaps also inspired by geest (“breath, vapour, spirit”). Doublet of chaos. First attested in 1648. The correct English form is gas, spelled G-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble of liquid, or held together by gravitational pull); it can condense into a liquid, or can (rarely) become a solid directly by deposition.
  2. 2
    Matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble of liquid, or held together by gravitational pull); it can condense into a liquid, or can (rarely) become a solid directly by deposition.
  3. 3
    Matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble of liquid, or held together by gravitational pull); it can condense into a liquid, or can (rarely) become a solid directly by deposition.
  4. 4
    A chemical element or compound in such a state.
  5. 5
    A hob on a gas cooker.
  6. 6
    Methane or other waste gases trapped in one's belly as a result of the digestive process; flatus.
  7. 7
    The supply of natural gas, as a utility.
  8. 8
    A humorous or entertaining event, person, or thing.
  9. 9
    Frothy or boastful talk; chatter.
  10. 10
    A fastball.
  11. 11
    Arterial or venous blood gas.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A lot of gas had escaped from the cylinder.
  2. Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.

Etymology

Borrowed from Dutch gas, coined by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in Ortus Medicinae. Derived from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, “chasm, void, empty space”); perhaps also inspired by geest (“breath, vapour, spirit”). Doublet of chaos. First attested in 1648.

This word in other languages

gas(Español)gaz(Français)Gas(Deutsch)gás(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 "gas"?
"gas" is spelled G-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡæs/.
What does "gas" mean?
As a noun, "gas" means: Matter in an intermediate state between liquid and plasma that can be contained only if it is fully surrounded by a solid (or in a bubble of liquid, or held together by gravitational pull); it can ...
What words are commonly confused with "gas"?
"gas" is commonly confused with "go", "GM", "GB". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gas"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gas" is /ɡæs/. 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 "gas"?
Borrowed from Dutch gas, coined by chemist Jan Baptist van Helmont in Ortus Medicinae. Derived from Ancient Greek χάος (kháos, “chasm, void, empty space”); perhaps also inspired by geest (“breath, vapour, spirit”). Doublet of chaos. First attested... 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 "gas", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ass#1,065via#1,034ice#1,081eye#1,018

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list