ghrelin
/ˈɡɹɛlɪn/
"ghrelin" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ghrelin” is uncommon English (frequency #91,564 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #91,564
- frequency rank, English
- 18,276
- “G” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ghrelin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɡɹɛlɪn/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #91,564 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ghrelin” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
ghrelin is uncommon English at frequency #91,564 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡɹɛlɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.".
Zero misspellings are on record for ghrelin in our index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: From g(rowth) h(ormone)-rel(easing peptide) + -in (suffix forming names of chemical compounds), influenced by Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow”): see the December 1999 quotation. The correct English form is ghrelin, spelled G-H-R-E-L-I-N.
Definition
- 1A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.
Etymology
From g(rowth) h(ormone)-rel(easing peptide) + -in (suffix forming names of chemical compounds), influenced by Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow”): see the December 1999 quotation.
This word in other languages
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 “ghrelin”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-H-R-E-L-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɡɹɛlɪn/ (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.