glabrous

/ˈɡleɪbɹəs/

//ˈɡleɪbɹəs// adj

"glabrous" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“glabrous” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,359. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,359
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Bald, hairless; smooth.

Corpus desk

Index EN-glabrous · glabrous · English

glabrous · rank #49,359 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #49,359
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gloved

Nearest frequency peer: gloved (+2 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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “glabrous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “glabrous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

glabrous vs glamorous
78% similar

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

Key facts for glabrous
PropertyValue
Headwordglabrous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡleɪbɹəs/
Letters8
Frequency rank#49,359
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “glabrous”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).glabrouslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “gloved” (#49,361), “Gippsland” (#49,356), “gnaw” (#49,362). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “glabrous” is #49,359. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around glabrous (IPA /ˈɡleɪbɹəs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #49,359 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Bald, hairless; smooth.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for glabrous, with forms such as "galbrous", "gglabrous", and "glabbrous". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "glamorous", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin glaber (“smooth; bald, hairless”) + English -ous (suffix forming adjectives, denoting possession or presence of a quality in any degree, commonly in abundance). Glaber is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʰleh₂dʰ- (“smooth; bright, sh… The correct English form is glabrous, spelled G-L-A-B-R-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Bald, hairless; smooth.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [T]he Vernacula or French Elm, whoſe leaves are thicker, and more florid, glabrous and ſmooth, delighting in the lower and moiſter grounds, where they will ſometimes riſe to above an hundred foot in height; […]
  2. [Crotalaria obtecta] Stems tall, erect, branched: stipules not decurrent: leaves simple, usually glabrous on the upper side: […] legumes oblong, many-seeded, glabrous or softly pubescent.

Etymology

From Latin glaber (“smooth; bald, hairless”) + English -ous (suffix forming adjectives, denoting possession or presence of a quality in any degree, commonly in abundance). Glaber is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʰleh₂dʰ- (“smooth; bright, shining”), possibly from *ǵʰelh₂- (“to shine”).

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • galbrous
  • gglabrous
  • glabbrous
  • glaborus
  • glabrosu
  • glabrouss
  • glabrrous
  • glabruos
  • glarbous
  • glbarous
  • gllabrous
  • lgabrous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of glabrous - 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.

galbrous2gglabrous1glabbrous1glaborus2glabrosu2glabrouss1glabrrous1glabruos2
Edit distance from "glabrous"

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 "glabrous"?
"glabrous" is spelled G-L-A-B-R-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡleɪbɹəs/.
What does "glabrous" mean?
As an adjective, "glabrous" means: Bald, hairless; smooth.
What words are commonly confused with "glabrous"?
"glabrous" is commonly confused with "glamorous". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "glabrous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "glabrous" is /ˈɡleɪbɹəs/. 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 "glabrous"?
From Latin glaber (“smooth; bald, hairless”) + English -ous (suffix forming adjectives, denoting possession or presence of a quality in any degree, commonly in abundance). Glaber is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *gʰleh₂dʰ- (“smooth; ... 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 "glabrous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list