ghoul

/ɡuːl/

//ɡuːl// noun

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

"ghoul" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ghoul” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,253. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,253
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A demon said to feed on corpses.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ghoul · ghoul · English

ghoul · rank #33,253 · 7 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,253
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH geometrical

Nearest frequency peer: geometrical (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “ghoul”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “ghoul” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

ghoul vs gul
60% similar
ghoul vs GOL
0% similar
ghoul vs goal
60% similar

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

Key facts for ghoul
PropertyValue
Headwordghoul
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡuːl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#33,253
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “ghoul”

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).ghoullands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “geometrical” (#33,252), “gauze” (#33,251), “gimmicks” (#33,255). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “ghoul” is #33,253. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around ghoul (IPA /ɡuːl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,253 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for ghoul, with forms such as "gghoul", "ghhoul", and "gholu". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "gul", "GOL", "goal", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French goule, from Persian غول (ġul) from Arabic غُول (ḡūl). The correct English form is ghoul, spelled G-H-O-U-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A demon said to feed on corpses.
  2. 2
    A graverobber.
  3. 3
    A person with an undue interest in death and corpses, or more generally in things that are revolting and repulsive.
  4. 4
    A person with a callous or uncaring attitude to human life and suffering, particularly when prioritizing economic concerns.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The other chamber had shown a pack of ghouls and witches over-running the world of our forefathers, but this one brought the horror right into our own daily life!.
  2. From my laboratory in the Castle east To the master bedroom, where the vampires feast The ghouls all came from their humble abodes To get a jolt from my electrodes They did the Mash They did the Monster Mash.

Etymology

Borrowed from French goule, from Persian غول (ġul) from Arabic غُول (ḡūl).

This word in other languages

gul(Español)goule(Français)Ghul(Deutsch)gula(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gghoul
  • ghhoul
  • gholu
  • ghoull
  • ghuol
  • gohul
  • hgoul

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gghoul1ghhoul1gholu2ghoull1ghuol2gohul2hgoul2
Edit distance from "ghoul"

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 "ghoul"?
"ghoul" is spelled G-H-O-U-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡuːl/.
What does "ghoul" mean?
As a noun, "ghoul" means: A demon said to feed on corpses.
What words are commonly confused with "ghoul"?
"ghoul" is commonly confused with "gul", "GOL", "goal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ghoul"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ghoul" is /ɡuːl/. 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 "ghoul"?
Borrowed from French goule, from Persian غول (ġul) from Arabic غُول (ḡūl). 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 "ghoul", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gauze#33,251Golan#33,257Hales#33,264hamza#33,267

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

Hamill7 variantsFavre7 variantsErick7 variantsDPRK7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list