glutinous

/ˈɡluːtɪnəs/

//ˈɡluːtɪnəs// adj

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

"glutinous" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“glutinous” is uncommon English (frequency #70,705 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,705
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Glue-like, sticky, viscid.

Corpus desk

Index EN-glutinous · glutinous · English

glutinous · rank #70,705 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,705
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH goading

Nearest frequency peer: goading (+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 “glutinous”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for glutinous
PropertyValue
Headwordglutinous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡluːtɪnəs/
Letters9
Frequency rank#70,705
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “glutinous” 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).glutinousfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “goading” (#70,706), “glisten” (#70,702), “glimmering” (#70,701). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “glutinous” is #70,705. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

glutinous is uncommon English at frequency #70,705 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈɡluːtɪnəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

glutinous doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin glūtinōsus. By surface analysis, gluten + -ous. The correct English form is glutinous, spelled G-L-U-T-I-N-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Glue-like, sticky, viscid.
  2. 2
    Of the nature of gluten.
  3. 3
    Containing gluten.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Then comes the dinner, a glutinous spread that seems simultaneously generous and disgusting, but no one ever touches the food

Etymology

From Latin glūtinōsus. By surface analysis, gluten + -ous.

Synonyms

glutinaceous

This word in other languages

glutinoso(Español)glutineux(Français)klebrig(Deutsch)

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 "glutinous"?
"glutinous" is spelled G-L-U-T-I-N-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡluːtɪnəs/.
What does "glutinous" mean?
As an adjective, "glutinous" means: Glue-like, sticky, viscid.
How do you pronounce "glutinous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "glutinous" is /ˈɡluːtɪnəs/. 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 "glutinous"?
From Latin glūtinōsus. By surface analysis, gluten + -ous. 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 "glutinous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Goldsboro#70,709Glengarry#70,700Grinstead#70,717Frankland#70,674

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list