generous

/ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/

//ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs// adj

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

"generous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“generous” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,131. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,131
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous.

Corpus desk

Index EN-generous · generous · English

generous · rank #5,131 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,131
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH forty

Nearest frequency peer: forty (-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 neighbourhood for “generous”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “generous” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

generous vs generously
80% similar
generous vs generals
75% similar

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

Key facts for generous
PropertyValue
Headwordgenerous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#5,131
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “generous” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).generouslands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “forty” (#5,130), “Germans” (#5,132), “flip” (#5,129). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around generous (IPA /ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,131 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for generous, with forms such as "egnerous", "geenrous", and "geneorus". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "generously", "generals", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French genereux, and its source, Latin generōsus (“of noble birth”), from genus (“race, stock”). The correct English form is generous, spelled G-E-N-E-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous.
  2. 2
    Willing to give and share unsparingly; showing a readiness to give more (especially money) than is expected or needed.
  3. 3
    Large; more than ample; copious.
  4. 4
    Invigorating in its nature.
  5. 5
    Of noble birth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Thank you for your generous words.
  2. Although the extension to Crewe carried the line much nearer to the town, it was decided to retain this station, and a large enclosure there was roofed over to accommodate third class passengers (the M.B.R. was more generous than most railways in its treatment of what were then known as the "lower orders").

Etymology

From Middle French genereux, and its source, Latin generōsus (“of noble birth”), from genus (“race, stock”).

Synonyms

charitablefouthyfreefrolicgenerousgiftfulgivinggoodwillyhandsomejannockliberalmunificentopen-handed

Antonyms

stingy

This word in other languages

generoso(Español)généreux(Français)großzügig(Deutsch)grande(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • egnerous
  • geenrous
  • geneorus
  • generosu
  • generouss
  • generrous
  • generuos
  • gennerous
  • genreous
  • ggenerous
  • gneerous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of generous - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

egnerous2geenrous2geneorus2generosu2generouss1generrous1generuos2gennerous1
Edit distance from "generous"

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 "generous"?
"generous" is spelled G-E-N-E-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/.
What does "generous" mean?
As an adjective, "generous" means: Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous.
What words are commonly confused with "generous"?
"generous" is commonly confused with "generously", "generals". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "generous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "generous" is /ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/. 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 "generous"?
From Middle French genereux, and its source, Latin generōsus (“of noble birth”), from genus (“race, stock”). 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 "generous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

mentally#5,144missions#5,145opponent#5,147patience#5,150

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Germans11 variantschronic11 variantsblowing11 variantsregards11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "generous". Here's where to go from here.

  • "generous" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "generously". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #5,131 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "G" letter cohort. G–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list