glob

/ɡlɑb/

//ɡlɑb// noun

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

"glob" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“glob” is uncommon English (frequency #54,205 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,205
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A round, shapeless or amorphous lump, as of a semisolid substance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-glob · glob · English

glob · rank #54,205 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,205
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gormley

Nearest frequency peer: Gormley (+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 “glob”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for glob
PropertyValue
Headwordglob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡlɑb/
Letters4
Frequency rank#54,205
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “glob” 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).globfalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Gormley” (#54,206), “Grandview” (#54,207), “gladness” (#54,202). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “glob” is #54,205. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

glob is uncommon English at frequency #54,205 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɡlɑb/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for glob in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Possibly a blend of blob + gob, or a clipping of globule. An element of sound symbolism is clearly involved: compare such phonetically and semantically similar words as glop, gop, lob, blob, lump, clump and clod. (Still, globe, clump and clod may be related… The correct English form is glob, spelled G-L-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A round, shapeless or amorphous lump, as of a semisolid substance.
  2. 2
    A millimeter-sized colour module found beyond the visual area V2 in the brain's parvocellular pathway.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He put a glob of paint into the cup and went on painting.

Etymology

Possibly a blend of blob + gob, or a clipping of globule. An element of sound symbolism is clearly involved: compare such phonetically and semantically similar words as glop, gop, lob, blob, lump, clump and clod. (Still, globe, clump and clod may be related via the Proto-Indo-European root *gel-; compare clew.) In the biological sense, proposed by Bevil R. Conway and Doris Y. Tsao, by analogy with the cytochrome-oxidase "blobs" of V1, an earlier stage in the hierarchical elaboration of colour.

This word in other languages

mazacote(Español)

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 "glob"?
"glob" is spelled G-L-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡlɑb/.
What does "glob" mean?
As a noun, "glob" means: A round, shapeless or amorphous lump, as of a semisolid substance.
How do you pronounce "glob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "glob" is /ɡlɑb/. 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 "glob"?
Possibly a blend of blob + gob, or a clipping of globule. An element of sound symbolism is clearly involved: compare such phonetically and semantically similar words as glop, gop, lob, blob, lump, clump and clod. (Still, globe, clump and clod may ... 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 "glob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gato#54,196Haag#54,219haka#54,220heer#54,227

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list