gift

/ɡɪft/

//ɡɪft// noun

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

"gift" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gift” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,721. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,721
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gift · gift · English

gift · rank #1,721 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,721
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH function

Nearest frequency peer: function (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “gift”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “gift” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

gift vs got
50% similar
gift vs gut
50% similar
gift vs gig
50% similar

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

Key facts for gift
PropertyValue
Headwordgift
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɪft/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,721
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gift” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).giftlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “function” (#1,720), “helping” (#1,722), “fifth” (#1,719). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around gift (IPA /ɡɪft/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #1,721 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for gift, with forms such as "gfit", "ggift", and "gifft". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "got", "gut", "gig", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gift (also yift, yifte, ȝift, ȝeft), partly from Old English ġift (“giving, consideration, dowry, wedding”) and Old Norse gipt (“gift, present, wedding”); both from Proto-Germanic *giftiz (“gift”). Equivalent to give + -t (etymologically… The correct English form is gift, spelled G-I-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.
  2. 2
    A talent or natural ability.
  3. 3
    Something gained incidentally, without effort.
  4. 4
    The act, right, or power of giving or bestowing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She gave him a cell phone as a birthday gift.
  2. “I thank you for the gift, Dr. Yueh,” Paul said, speaking formally. “It will be our secret. If there is a gift or favor you wish from me, please do not hesitate to ask.” "I . . . need for nothing," Yueh said.

Etymology

From Middle English gift (also yift, yifte, ȝift, ȝeft), partly from Old English ġift (“giving, consideration, dowry, wedding”) and Old Norse gipt (“gift, present, wedding”); both from Proto-Germanic *giftiz (“gift”). Equivalent to give + -t (etymologically yive + -t). Cognate with West Frisian jefte (“gift”), Saterland Frisian Gift (“gift”), German Low German Gift (“poison”), Dutch gift (“gift”) and its doublet gif (“poison”), German Gift (“poison”), Danish gift (“gift (obsolete); poison, venom”), Swedish gift (“gift, poison, venom”), Icelandic gift (“gift”). Doublet of yift. Distantly related to English habit, from Latin habitus.

Synonyms

gift For beneficial actionsfavorabilityaptitudeknacktalentstrengthbenefactionboonconcessiondonativefairinggiftgrantpresenttithing

This word in other languages

regalo(Español)présent(Français)Geschenk(Deutsch)presente(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gfit
  • ggift
  • gifft
  • giftt
  • gitf
  • igft

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gift - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

gfit2ggift1gifft1giftt1gitf2igft2
Edit distance from "gift"

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 "gift"?
"gift" is spelled G-I-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɪft/.
What does "gift" mean?
As a noun, "gift" means: Something given to another voluntarily, without charge.
What words are commonly confused with "gift"?
"gift" is commonly confused with "got", "gut", "gig". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gift"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gift" is /ɡɪft/. 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 "gift"?
From Middle English gift (also yift, yifte, ȝift, ȝeft), partly from Old English ġift (“giving, consideration, dowry, wedding”) and Old Norse gipt (“gift, present, wedding”); both from Proto-Germanic *giftiz (“gift”). Equivalent to give + -t (etym... 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 "gift", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Mary#1,730till#1,706shut#1,738wood#1,743

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

dinner6 variantsaware6 variantstells6 variantsfirm6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "gift". Here's where to go from here.

  • "gift" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "got". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #1,721 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "G" letter cohort. G–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list