glans

/ɡlænz/

//ɡlænz// noun

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

"glans" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“glans” is uncommon English (frequency #58,053 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#58,053
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A structure at the extremity of the penis and of the clitoris in humans and other mammals.

Corpus desk

Index EN-glans · glans · English

glans · rank #58,053 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #58,053
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Glas

Nearest frequency peer: Glas (+1 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.

Long-tail ranks near “glans”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “glans” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for glans
PropertyValue
Headwordglans
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡlænz/
Letters5
Frequency rank#58,053
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “glans” in English

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).glansfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “Glas” (#58,054), “gish” (#58,051), “glues” (#58,055). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “glans” is #58,053. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

glans is uncommon English at frequency #58,053 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɡlænz/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for glans, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Latin glāns (“acorn”). The correct English form is glans, spelled G-L-A-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A structure at the extremity of the penis and of the clitoris in humans and other mammals.
  2. 2
    A structure at the extremity of the penis and of the clitoris in humans and other mammals.
  3. 3
    The acorn or mast of the oak and similar fruits.
  4. 4
    Synonym of goiter.
  5. 5
    Synonym of pessary.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin glāns (“acorn”).

This word in other languages

glande(Español)gland(Français)Eichel(Deutsch)glande(Português)

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 "glans"?
"glans" is spelled G-L-A-N-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡlænz/.
What does "glans" mean?
As a noun, "glans" means: A structure at the extremity of the penis and of the clitoris in humans and other mammals.
How do you pronounce "glans"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "glans" is /ɡlænz/. 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 "glans"?
Learned borrowing from Latin glāns (“acorn”). 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 "glans", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

glues#58,055Ghats#58,050genet#58,046Frito#58,039

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list