gingerbread

/ˈd͡ʒɪn.(d͡)ʒəˌbɹɛd/

//ˈd͡ʒɪn.(d͡)ʒəˌbɹɛd// noun

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

"gingerbread" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gingerbread” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,854. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,854
frequency rank, English
18,276
“G” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A type of cake whose main flavoring is ginger.

Key facts for gingerbread
PropertyValue
Headwordgingerbread
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈd͡ʒɪn.(d͡)ʒəˌbɹɛd/
Letters11
Frequency rank#27,854
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gingerbread” 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). gingerbread lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around gingerbread (IPA /ˈd͡ʒɪn.(d͡)ʒəˌbɹɛd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,854 among 18,276 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for gingerbread, with forms such as "ggingerbread", "gignerbread", and "ginegrbread". 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 is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gyngebred, gyngebrede, from Old French gingembras, gingimbrat (“preserved ginger”), from Medieval Latin *gingimbrātus (“gingered”, presumably referring to ginger that perhaps had a pharmaceutical use for some medicinal preparation), with… The correct English form is gingerbread, spelled G-I-N-G-E-R-B-R-E-A-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of cake whose main flavoring is ginger.
  2. 2
    Something ersatz; something showy but insubstantial.
  3. 3
    A flamboyant Victorian-era architectural style.

Etymology

From Middle English gyngebred, gyngebrede, from Old French gingembras, gingimbrat (“preserved ginger”), from Medieval Latin *gingimbrātus (“gingered”, presumably referring to ginger that perhaps had a pharmaceutical use for some medicinal preparation), with the intrusive m added to gingiber, from Latin zingiber (“ginger”), of earlier Sanskrit origin, through Ancient Greek ζιγγίβερις (zingíberis). The third syllable was earlier confounded with bread, and the insertion of an r in the second syllable completed the semblance of a compound word: ginger + bread.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggingerbread
  • gignerbread
  • ginegrbread
  • gingebrread
  • gingerbbread
  • gingerberad
  • gingerbraed
  • gingerbreadd
  • gingerbreda
  • gingerbrread
  • gingerrbead
  • gingerrbread
  • ginggerbread
  • gingrebread
  • ginngerbread
  • gnigerbread
  • igngerbread

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gingerbread - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ggingerbread1gignerbread2ginegrbread2gingebrread2gingerbbread1gingerberad2gingerbraed2gingerbreadd1
Edit distance from "gingerbread"

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 "gingerbread"?
"gingerbread" is spelled G-I-N-G-E-R-B-R-E-A-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈd͡ʒɪn.(d͡)ʒəˌbɹɛd/.
What does "gingerbread" mean?
As a noun, "gingerbread" means: A type of cake whose main flavoring is ginger.
What are common misspellings of "gingerbread"?
Common misspellings include "ggingerbread", "gignerbread", "ginegrbread", "gingebrread", "gingerbbread". The correct spelling is "gingerbread".
How do you pronounce "gingerbread"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gingerbread" is /ˈd͡ʒɪn.(d͡)ʒəˌbɹɛd/. 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 "gingerbread"?
From Middle English gyngebred, gyngebrede, from Old French gingembras, gingimbrat (“preserved ginger”), from Medieval Latin *gingimbrātus (“gingered”, presumably referring to ginger that perhaps had a pharmaceutical use for some medicinal preparat... 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.

Using “gingerbread”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-I-N-G-E-R-B-R-E-A-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈd͡ʒɪn.(d͡)ʒəˌbɹɛd/ (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

Same frequency band

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