glass

/ɡlɑːs/

//ɡlɑːs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“glass” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,485 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,485
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An amorphous solid, often transparent substance, usually made by melting silica sand with various additives (for most purposes, a mixture of soda, potash and lime is added).

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

glass vs Gras
40% similar
glass vs goss
60% similar
glass vs guess
60% similar

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

Key facts for glass
PropertyValue
Headwordglass
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡlɑːs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#1,485
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “glass” 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). glass lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for glass is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡlɑːs/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,485 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for glass, with forms such as "galss", "gglass", and "glas". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Gras", "goss", "guess", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English glas, from Old English glæs, from Proto-West Germanic *glas, from Proto-Germanic *glasą, possibly related to Proto-Germanic *glōaną (“to shine”) (compare glow), and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰleh₁- (“to shine, shimme… The correct English form is glass, spelled G-L-A-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An amorphous solid, often transparent substance, usually made by melting silica sand with various additives (for most purposes, a mixture of soda, potash and lime is added).
  2. 2
    Any amorphous solid (one without a regular crystal lattice).
  3. 3
    A vessel from which one drinks, especially one made of glass, plastic, or similar translucent or semi-translucent material.
  4. 4
    The quantity of liquid contained in such a vessel.
  5. 5
    Glassware.
  6. 6
    A mirror.
  7. 7
    A magnifying glass or loupe.
  8. 8
    A telescope.
  9. 9
    A barrier made of solid, transparent material.
  10. 10
    A barrier made of solid, transparent material.
  11. 11
    A barometer.
  12. 12
    Transparent or translucent.
  13. 13
    An hourglass.
  14. 14
    Lenses, considered collectively.
  15. 15
    Synonym of window or pane, particularly in vehicles.

Etymology

From Middle English glas, from Old English glæs, from Proto-West Germanic *glas, from Proto-Germanic *glasą, possibly related to Proto-Germanic *glōaną (“to shine”) (compare glow), and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰleh₁- (“to shine, shimmer, glow”). Cognate with West Frisian glês, Dutch glas, Low German Glas, German Glas, Swedish glas, Icelandic gler.

This word in other languages

cristal(Español)verre(Français)Glas(Deutsch)vidro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: galss,gglass,glas,gllass,glsas,lgass

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

galss2gglass1glas1gllass1glsas2lgass2
Edit distance from "glass"

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 "glass"?
"glass" is spelled G-L-A-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡlɑːs/.
What does "glass" mean?
As a noun, "glass" means: An amorphous solid, often transparent substance, usually made by melting silica sand with various additives (for most purposes, a mixture of soda, potash and lime is added).
What words are commonly confused with "glass"?
"glass" is commonly confused with "Gras", "goss", "guess". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "glass"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "glass" is /ɡlɑːs/. 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 "glass"?
From Middle English glas, from Old English glæs, from Proto-West Germanic *glas, from Proto-Germanic *glasą, possibly related to Proto-Germanic *glōaną (“to shine”) (compare glow), and ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *ǵʰleh₁- (“to shi... 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 “glass”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-L-A-S-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡlɑːs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Gras” - see the side-by-side comparison. glass vs Gras
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list