gentile

/ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl/

//ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl// adj

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

"gentile" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gentile” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #27,851 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#27,851
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Non-Jewish.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

gentile vs gentle
86% similar
gentile vs gently
71% similar
gentile vs genuine
71% similar

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

Key facts for gentile
PropertyValue
Headwordgentile
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl/
Letters7
Frequency rank#27,851
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gentile” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for gentile is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl/. Corpus data places it at rank #27,851 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for gentile, with forms such as "egntile", "genitle", and "genntile". 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. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "gentle", "gently", "genuine", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French gentil (“gentile”), from Latin gentīlis (“of or belonging to the same people or nation”), morphologically from gēns (“clan; tribe; people, family”) + adjective suffix -īlis (“-ile”). Doublet of gentle, genteel, jaunty, and Gentoo. See a… The correct English form is gentile, spelled G-E-N-T-I-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Non-Jewish.
  2. 2
    Heathen, pagan.
  3. 3
    Non-Mormon.
  4. 4
    Relating to a clan, tribe, or nation; clannish, tribal, national.
  5. 5
    Of or pertaining to a gens or several gentes.
  6. 6
    Of a part of speech such as an adjective, noun or verb: relating to a particular city, nation or country.

Etymology

Borrowed from French gentil (“gentile”), from Latin gentīlis (“of or belonging to the same people or nation”), morphologically from gēns (“clan; tribe; people, family”) + adjective suffix -īlis (“-ile”). Doublet of gentle, genteel, jaunty, and Gentoo. See also gens, gender, genus, and generation.

This word in other languages

gentil(Español)gentil(Français)nichtjüdisch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: egntile,genitle,genntile,gentiel,gentille,gentlie,genttile,getnile,ggentile,gnetile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gentile - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

egntile2genitle2genntile1gentiel2gentille1gentlie2genttile1getnile2
Edit distance from "gentile"

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 "gentile"?
"gentile" is spelled G-E-N-T-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl/.
What does "gentile" mean?
As an adjective, "gentile" means: Non-Jewish.
What words are commonly confused with "gentile"?
"gentile" is commonly confused with "gentle", "gently", "genuine". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gentile"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gentile" is /ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl/. 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 "gentile"?
Borrowed from French gentil (“gentile”), from Latin gentīlis (“of or belonging to the same people or nation”), morphologically from gēns (“clan; tribe; people, family”) + adjective suffix -īlis (“-ile”). Doublet of gentle, genteel, jaunty, and Gen... 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.

Using “gentile”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-E-N-T-I-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈd͡ʒɛntaɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “gentle” - see the side-by-side comparison. gentile vs gentle
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list