gladsome

/ˈɡlædsəm/

//ˈɡlædsəm// adj

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

The verdict

“gladsome” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
8
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Marked by joy or gladness; happy, joyous, or light-hearted.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gladsome · gladsome · English

gladsome · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 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.

Key facts for gladsome
PropertyValue
Headwordgladsome
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡlædsəm/
Letters8
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gladsome” in English

gladsomesits beyond the 100,000 most-frequent English words, in the long tail of technical, archaic, or otherwise rare vocabulary where spelling doubt tends to strike hardest.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gladsome is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɡlædsəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Marked by joy or gladness; happy, joyous, or light-hearted.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for gladsome, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gladsom, equivalent to glad + -some. The correct English form is gladsome, spelled G-L-A-D-S-O-M-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marked by joy or gladness; happy, joyous, or light-hearted.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I was not surprised, when I ran down into the hall, to see that a brilliant June morning had succeeded to the tempest of the night; and to feel, through the open glass door, the breathing of a fresh and fragrant breeze. Nature must be gladsome when I was so happy.

Etymology

From Middle English gladsom, equivalent to glad + -some.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gladsome"?
"gladsome" is spelled G-L-A-D-S-O-M-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡlædsəm/.
What does "gladsome" mean?
As an adjective, "gladsome" means: Marked by joy or gladness; happy, joyous, or light-hearted.
How do you pronounce "gladsome"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gladsome" is /ˈɡlædsəm/. 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 "gladsome"?
From Middle English gladsom, equivalent to glad + -some. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list