gasp
/ɡɑːsp/
"gasp" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“gasp” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,030 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #16,030
- frequency rank, English
- 4
- letters
- 5
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To draw in the breath suddenly, as if from a shock.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gasp |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɡɑːsp/ |
| Letters | 4 |
| Frequency rank | #16,030 |
| Misspellings tracked | 5 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “gasp” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for gasp is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɑːsp/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,030 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 5 likely wrong-spelling variants for gasp, with forms such as "agsp", "gaspp", and "gassp". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "GP", "GS", "Gay", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gaspen, gayspen (“to gape, outbreathe”), related to and likely derived from Old Norse geispa (“to yawn”) or its descendant Danish gispe, which may be related to gapa (“to gape”). The correct English form is gasp, spelled G-A-S-P.
Definition
- 1To draw in the breath suddenly, as if from a shock.
- 2To breathe quickly or in a labored manner, as after exertion; to respire with heaving of the breast; to pant.
- 3To speak in a breathless manner.
- 4To pant with eagerness or excitement; to show vehement desire.
Etymology
From Middle English gaspen, gayspen (“to gape, outbreathe”), related to and likely derived from Old Norse geispa (“to yawn”) or its descendant Danish gispe, which may be related to gapa (“to gape”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: agsp,gaspp,gassp,ggasp,gsap
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gasp - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "gasp"?
What does "gasp" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "gasp"?
How do you pronounce "gasp"?
What is the origin of the word "gasp"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “gasp”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-A-S-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɡɑːsp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “GP” - see the side-by-side comparison. gasp vs GP
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.