gentlewoman

/ˈd͡ʒɛn.təlˌwʊm.ən/

//ˈd͡ʒɛn.təlˌwʊm.ən// noun

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

"gentlewoman" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gentlewoman” is uncommon English (frequency #89,397 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#89,397
frequency rank, English
18,276
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A woman of the nobility.

Key facts for gentlewoman
PropertyValue
Headwordgentlewoman
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɛn.təlˌwʊm.ən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#89,397
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gentlewoman” 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). gentlewoman lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

gentlewoman is uncommon English at frequency #89,397 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈd͡ʒɛn.təlˌwʊm.ən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for gentlewoman in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gentilwoman, modelled after gentilman (“gentleman”), equivalent to gentle + -woman. The correct English form is gentlewoman, spelled G-E-N-T-L-E-W-O-M-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A woman of the nobility.
  2. 2
    A female member of a legislature, especially a female member of a House of Representatives.

Etymology

From Middle English gentilwoman, modelled after gentilman (“gentleman”), equivalent to gentle + -woman.

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 "gentlewoman"?
"gentlewoman" is spelled G-E-N-T-L-E-W-O-M-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛn.təlˌwʊm.ən/.
What does "gentlewoman" mean?
As a noun, "gentlewoman" means: A woman of the nobility.
How do you pronounce "gentlewoman"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gentlewoman" is /ˈd͡ʒɛn.təlˌwʊm.ən/. 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 "gentlewoman"?
From Middle English gentilwoman, modelled after gentilman (“gentleman”), equivalent to gentle + -woman. 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 “gentlewoman”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-E-N-T-L-E-W-O-M-A-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈd͡ʒɛn.təlˌwʊm.ən/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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