ghrelin

/ˈɡɹɛlɪn/

//ˈɡɹɛlɪn// noun

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

"ghrelin" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“ghrelin” is uncommon English (frequency #91,564 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#91,564
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.

Corpus desk

Index EN-ghrelin · ghrelin · English

ghrelin · rank #91,564 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #91,564
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gestion

Nearest frequency peer: gestion (-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 “ghrelin”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for ghrelin
PropertyValue
Headwordghrelin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɹɛlɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#91,564
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “ghrelin” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).ghrelinfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “gestion” (#91,563), “Gillam” (#91,566), “gest” (#91,561). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “ghrelin” is #91,564. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ghrelin is uncommon English at frequency #91,564 among 2,313 “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

  1. 1
    A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We designate the GH-releasing peptide ‘ghrelin’ (ghre is the Proto-Indo-European root of the word ‘grow’).
  2. Both human and rat ghrelins are 28 amino acid peptides, in which Ser3 is modified by a fatty acid, primarily n-octanoic acid.

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

ghréline(Français)

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 "ghrelin"?
"ghrelin" is spelled G-H-R-E-L-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹɛlɪn/.
What does "ghrelin" mean?
As a noun, "ghrelin" means: A peptide hormone, secreted in the stomach when empty, that increases appetite and secretion of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.
How do you pronounce "ghrelin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ghrelin" is /ˈɡɹɛlɪn/. 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 "ghrelin"?
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. 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 "ghrelin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gestion#91,563gamelan#91,545Galante#91,538fulness#91,536

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list