gilgul
/ˈɡɪlˌɡʊl/
"gilgul" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“gilgul” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - reincarnation, metempsychosis
Corpus desk
Index EN-gilgul · gilgul · English
gilgul · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "G" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gilgul |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɡɪlˌɡʊl/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “gilgul” in English
Rare enough to double-check
gilgul is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡɪlˌɡʊl/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "reincarnation, metempsychosis".
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for gilgul, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Hebrew גלגול. The correct English form is gilgul, spelled G-I-L-G-U-L.
Definition
- 1reincarnation, metempsychosis
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how gilgul appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Abravanel, for example, chooses to argue at length in favor of gilgulim in his commentary on the section of the Torah that discusses yibbum.
The limitation of gilgul to men here is intriguing. Gilgul, among other things, is a process of purification from the sins of past lives, an alternative to the more anguished purification of Gehenna.
Etymology
Borrowed from Hebrew גלגול.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.