ginger
/ˈdʒɪndʒə/
"ginger" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ginger” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,921 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #7,921
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 9
- tracked misspellings
- 11
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ginger |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈdʒɪndʒə/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #7,921 |
| Misspellings tracked | 9 |
| Confusable pairs | 11 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ginger” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ginger is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈdʒɪndʒə/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,921 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for ginger, with forms such as "gginger", "gigner", and "ginegr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 11 confusable-pair relationships, "giver", "Gunner", "Gunter", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci) Proto-Dravidian *wēr Old Tamil 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr) Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr)bor. Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera)der. Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis)bor. Late Latin zingiberi Late Latin … The correct English form is ginger, spelled G-I-N-G-E-R.
Definition
- 1The pungent aromatic rhizome of a tropical Asian herb, Zingiber officinale, used as a spice and as a stimulant and acarminative.
- 2The plant that produces this rhizome.
- 3Other species belonging to the same family, Zingiberaceae, especially those of the genus Zingiber
- 4A reddish-brown color.
- 5A person with reddish hair; a redhead.
- 6Vitality, vigour, liveliness (of character).
- 7Ginger ale, or can or bottle of such (especially if dry).
- 8Any fizzy soft drink, or can or bottle of such; pop; soda.
Etymology
Etymology tree Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci) Proto-Dravidian *wēr Old Tamil 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr) Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr)bor. Sauraseni Prakrit 𑀲𑀺𑀁𑀕𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭 (siṃgivera)der. Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis)bor. Late Latin zingiberi Late Latin gingiberbor. Proto-West Germanic *gingiberō Old English gingifer ▲ Old French gingembreinflu. Middle English gingivere Middle English gingere English ginger Inherited from Middle English gingere, alteration of gingivere, from Old English gingifer, gingiber (influenced by Old French gingembre), from Medieval Latin gingiber, zingiber, from Latin zingiberi, from Late Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis), from , ultimately from Old Tamil 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (iñcivēr), a compound of 𑀇𑀜𑁆𑀘𑀺 (iñci, “ginger”) and 𑀯𑁂𑀭𑁆 (vēr, “root”) (compare modern Tamil இஞ்சிவேர் (iñcivēr), from இஞ்சி (iñci, “ginger”) + வேர் (vēr, “root”)).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: gginger,gigner,ginegr,gingerr,gingger,gingre,ginnger,gniger,ignger
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ginger - 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.
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 "ginger"?
What does "ginger" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "ginger"?
How do you pronounce "ginger"?
What is the origin of the word "ginger"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “ginger”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-I-N-G-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈdʒɪndʒə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “giver” - see the side-by-side comparison. ginger vs giver
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.