gnosis

/ˈnəʊ.sɪs/

//ˈnəʊ.sɪs// noun

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

"gnosis" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gnosis” is uncommon English (frequency #65,149 among 18,276 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,149
frequency rank, English
18,276
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An immanent form of knowledge or transcendent insight, such as sought by the Gnostics.

Key facts for gnosis
PropertyValue
Headwordgnosis
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈnəʊ.sɪs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#65,149
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gnosis” 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). gnosis lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

gnosis is uncommon English at frequency #65,149 among 18,276 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈnəʊ.sɪs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for gnosis, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”). The correct English form is gnosis, spelled G-N-O-S-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    An immanent form of knowledge or transcendent insight, such as sought by the Gnostics.
  2. 2
    The act or process of knowing in general.
  3. 3
    An altered state of awareness in which the will is magically effective.

Etymology

From Ancient Greek γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”).

This word in other languages

gnosis(Español)gnose(Français)Gnosis(Deutsch)gnose(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 "gnosis"?
"gnosis" is spelled G-N-O-S-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈnəʊ.sɪs/.
What does "gnosis" mean?
As a noun, "gnosis" means: An immanent form of knowledge or transcendent insight, such as sought by the Gnostics.
How do you pronounce "gnosis"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gnosis" is /ˈnəʊ.sɪs/. 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 "gnosis"?
From Ancient Greek γνῶσις (gnôsis, “knowledge”). 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 “gnosis”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-N-O-S-I-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈnəʊ.sɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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