gerrymander
/ˈdʒɛ.ɹiˌmæn.də/
"gerrymander" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“gerrymander” is uncommon English (frequency #88,377 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #88,377
- frequency rank, English
- 18,276
- “G” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To divide a geographic area into voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gerrymander |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ˈdʒɛ.ɹiˌmæn.də/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #88,377 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “gerrymander” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
gerrymander is uncommon English at frequency #88,377 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈdʒɛ.ɹiˌmæn.də/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for gerrymander, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Blend of Gerry + salamander, named after Elbridge Gerry, then governor of Massachusetts. Coined by the editors of the Boston Gazette in an 26 March 1812 article comparing the new electoral district boundary signed into law by Gerry to the shape of the mytho… The correct English form is gerrymander, spelled G-E-R-R-Y-M-A-N-D-E-R.
Definition
- 1To divide a geographic area into voting districts in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.
- 2To draw dividing lines for other types of districts in an unintuitive way to favor a particular group or for other perceived gain.
- 3To change the franchise or voting system in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.
- 4To deliberately bring in voters of one's own party or displace voters of another party from a voting district in such a way as to give an unfair advantage to one party in an election.
Etymology
Blend of Gerry + salamander, named after Elbridge Gerry, then governor of Massachusetts. Coined by the editors of the Boston Gazette in an 26 March 1812 article comparing the new electoral district boundary signed into law by Gerry to the shape of the mythological salamander. The original text was likely written by Nathan Hale and Benjamin and John Russell, accompanying a cartoon by Elkanah Tisdale. Despite Gerry's surname beginning with a hard G (/ɡ/), gerrymander is typically pronounced with a soft G (/dʒ/), as a spelling pronunciation.
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
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Using “gerrymander”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-E-R-R-Y-M-A-N-D-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdʒɛ.ɹiˌmæn.də/ (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.