gerund

/ˈd͡ʒɛɹənd/

//ˈd͡ʒɛɹənd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gerund” is uncommon English (frequency #91,560 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,560
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A verbal form that functions as a verbal noun. (In English, a gerund has the same spelling as a present participle, but functions differently; however, this distinction may be ambiguous or unclear ...

Corpus desk

Index EN-gerund · gerund · English

gerund · rank #91,560 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,560
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gentamicin

Nearest frequency peer: gentamicin (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “gerund”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “gerund” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gerund
PropertyValue
Headwordgerund
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɛɹənd/
Letters6
Frequency rank#91,560
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gerund” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).gerundfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “gentamicin” (#91,559), “gest” (#91,561), “gein” (#91,557). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gerund” is #91,560. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gerund is uncommon English at frequency #91,560 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈd͡ʒɛɹənd/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for gerund, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin gerundium, from gerendus (“which is to be carried out”), future passive participle (gerundive) of gerō (“carry, bear”). The correct English form is gerund, spelled G-E-R-U-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A verbal form that functions as a verbal noun. (In English, a gerund has the same spelling as a present participle, but functions differently; however, this distinction may be ambiguous or unclear and so is no longer made in some modern texts such as A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language and The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language)
  2. 2
    In some languages such as Dutch, Italian or Russian, a verbal form similar to a present participle, but functioning as an adverb to form adverbial phrases or continuous tense. These constructions have various names besides gerund, depending on the language, such as conjunctive participles, active participles, adverbial participles, transgressives, etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Compounds in which gerunds are the second element look exactly like compounds in which present participles are the second element, but different principles of hyphenation apply.
  2. Like any noun, the gerund functions as a subject, direct object, indirect object, object of the preposition, or predicate nominative. The gerund phrase is made up of the present participle ("-ing") and can contain an object and/or a modifier (and sometimes many modifiers). The gerund is a verbal noun.

Etymology

From Latin gerundium, from gerendus (“which is to be carried out”), future passive participle (gerundive) of gerō (“carry, bear”).

This word in other languages

gerundio(Español)gérondif(Français)Gerundium(Deutsch)gerúndio(Português)

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 "gerund"?
"gerund" is spelled G-E-R-U-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɛɹənd/.
What does "gerund" mean?
As a noun, "gerund" means: A verbal form that functions as a verbal noun. (In English, a gerund has the same spelling as a present participle, but functions differently; however, this distinction may be ambiguous or unclear ...
How do you pronounce "gerund"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gerund" is /ˈd͡ʒɛɹənd/. 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 "gerund"?
From Latin gerundium, from gerendus (“which is to be carried out”), future passive participle (gerundive) of gerō (“carry, bear”). 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 "gerund", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Gillam#91,566Garton#91,552Garand#91,548Guinan#91,580

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list