gentle

/ˈdʒɛntl̩/

//ˈdʒɛntl̩// adj

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

"gentle" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gentle” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,419. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,419
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gentle · gentle · English

gentle · rank #5,419 · 9 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,419
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH genre

Nearest frequency peer: genre (-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 “gentle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “gentle” 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 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gentle vs gents
67% similar
gentle vs gently
83% similar
gentle vs gentry
67% similar

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

Key facts for gentle
PropertyValue
Headwordgentle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈdʒɛntl̩/
Letters6
Frequency rank#5,419
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gentle” 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). gentle lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around gentle (IPA /ˈdʒɛntl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,419 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for gentle, with forms such as "egntle", "genlte", and "genntle". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "gents", "gently", "gentry", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gentil (“courteous, noble”), from Old French gentil (“high-born, noble”), from Latin gentilis (“of the same family or clan”), from gens (“[Roman] clan”). Doublet of gentile, genteel, and jaunty. The correct English form is gentle, spelled G-E-N-T-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.
  2. 2
    Soft and mild rather than hard or severe.
  3. 3
    Docile and easily managed.
  4. 4
    Gradual rather than steep or sudden.
  5. 5
    Polite and respectful rather than rude.
  6. 6
    Well-born; of a good family or respectable birth, though not noble.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Stuart is a gentle man; he would never hurt you.
  2. I felt something touch my shoulder; it was gentle and a little slimy.

Etymology

From Middle English gentil (“courteous, noble”), from Old French gentil (“high-born, noble”), from Latin gentilis (“of the same family or clan”), from gens (“[Roman] clan”). Doublet of gentile, genteel, and jaunty.

Synonyms

friendlykindpoliterespectful

Antonyms

rude

This word in other languages

tierno(Español)gentil(Français)liebenswürdig(Deutsch)gentil(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • egntle
  • genlte
  • genntle
  • gentel
  • gentlle
  • genttle
  • getnle
  • ggentle
  • gnetle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gentle - 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.

egntle2genlte2genntle1gentel2gentlle1genttle1getnle2ggentle1
Edit distance from "gentle"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gentle"?
"gentle" is spelled G-E-N-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈdʒɛntl̩/.
What does "gentle" mean?
As an adjective, "gentle" means: Tender and amiable; of a considerate or kindly disposition.
What words are commonly confused with "gentle"?
"gentle" is commonly confused with "gents", "gently", "gentry". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gentle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gentle" is /ˈdʒɛntl̩/. 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 "gentle"?
From Middle English gentil (“courteous, noble”), from Old French gentil (“high-born, noble”), from Latin gentilis (“of the same family or clan”), from gens (“[Roman] clan”). Doublet of gentile, genteel, and jaunty. 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 "gentle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

layers#5,431comics#5,402cinema#5,400notion#5,441

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

grammar9 variantsboxing9 variantsAntonio9 variantsWatson9 variants
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