# gentleman

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈd͡ʒɛn.təl.mən/ · frequency rank #5,498

## Definitions
1. Any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man.
2. Any man.
3. A man of gentle but not noble birth, particularly a man of means (originally ownership of property) who does not work for a living but has no official status in a peerage; (UK law) an armigerous man ranking below a knight.
4. An effeminate or oversophisticated man.
5. An amateur or dabbler in any field, particularly those of independent means.
6. An amateur player, particularly one whose wealth permits him to forego payment.

## Etymology
From Middle English gentilman, morphologically gentle + man, partial calque of Old French gentilhome.

## Easily confused with
- **gentlemen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gentleman-vs-gentlemen)
- **gentlemanly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gentleman-vs-gentlemanly)

## Common misspellings (14)
`egntleman`, `genlteman`, `genntleman`, `gentelman`, `gentleamn`, `gentlemann`, `gentlemman`, `gentlemna`, `gentlleman`, `gentlmean`, `genttleman`, `getnleman`, `ggentleman`, `gnetleman`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gentleman