gauntlet
/ˈɡɔːnt.lət/
"gauntlet" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“gauntlet” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,163 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,163
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gauntlet |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɡɔːnt.lət/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #24,163 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “gauntlet” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for gauntlet is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɔːnt.lət/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,163 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 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for gauntlet, with forms such as "aguntlet", "ganutlet", and "gaunltet". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gauntelett, gantlett, a borrowing from Old French gantelet (“gauntlet worn by a knight in armor, a token of one's personality or person, and symbolizing a challenge”), diminutive of gant (“glove”), a borrowing from Frankish *want (“glove… The correct English form is gauntlet, spelled G-A-U-N-T-L-E-T.
Definition
- 1Protective armor for the hands, formerly thrown down as a challenge to combat.
- 2A long glove covering the wrist.
- 3A rope on which hammocks or clothes are hung for drying.
- 4An eruption of pellagra on the hands.
Etymology
From Middle English gauntelett, gantlett, a borrowing from Old French gantelet (“gauntlet worn by a knight in armor, a token of one's personality or person, and symbolizing a challenge”), diminutive of gant (“glove”), a borrowing from Frankish *want (“glove; mitten”) and reinforced by Medieval Latin wantus (“glove”) itself borrowed from the former, from Proto-Germanic *wantuz (“glove; mitten”). Cognate with Dutch want (“mitten; shroud”), German Low German Want (“shroud”), Danish vante (“mitten”), Swedish vante (“glove; mitten”), Faroese vøttur (“glove; mitten”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: aguntlet,ganutlet,gaunltet,gaunntlet,gauntelt,gauntlett,gauntllet,gauntlte,gaunttlet,gautnlet,ggauntlet,guantlet
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gauntlet - 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 "gauntlet"?
What does "gauntlet" mean?
What are common misspellings of "gauntlet"?
How do you pronounce "gauntlet"?
What is the origin of the word "gauntlet"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “gauntlet”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-A-U-N-T-L-E-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɡɔːnt.lət/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.