gob

/ɡɒb/

//ɡɒb// noun

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

"gob" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gob” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #41,647) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#41,647
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A lump of soft or sticky material.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gob · gob · English

gob · rank #41,647 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,647
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH glyph

Nearest frequency peer: glyph (-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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “gob”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “gob” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gob vs GP
0% similar
gob vs GS
0% similar
gob vs GR
0% similar

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

Key facts for gob
PropertyValue
Headwordgob
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɒb/
Letters3
Frequency rank#41,647
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “gob”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “glyph” (#41,646), “Gollum” (#41,649), “Glencoe” (#41,644). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gob” is #41,647. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for gob is neighbouring look-alikes ("GP", "GS", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ɡɒb/. Frequency #41,647 among 2,313 “G” headwords. 3 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

gob has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "GP", "GS", "GR", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gobbe (also Middle English gobet), from Old French gobet, gobe (“lump, mouthful”), from Transalpine Gaulish *gobbo- (“neb, muzzle”). The correct English form is gob, spelled G-O-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    A lump of soft or sticky material.
  2. 2
    Saliva or phlegm.
  3. 3
    A whoopie pie.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. 1952, The Glass Industry, Volume 33, Ashlee Publishing Company, page 309, These inventors have discovered that gobs may be fed at widely spaced times without allowing the glass to flow during the interval but instead flushes out the chilled glass which accumulates during the dwell.
  2. He spat a big ball of gob on to the pavement.

Etymology

From Middle English gobbe (also Middle English gobet), from Old French gobet, gobe (“lump, mouthful”), from Transalpine Gaulish *gobbo- (“neb, muzzle”).

This word in other languages

crachat(Français)

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 "gob"?
"gob" is spelled G-O-B. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɒb/.
What does "gob" mean?
As a noun, "gob" means: A lump of soft or sticky material.
What words are commonly confused with "gob"?
"gob" is commonly confused with "GP", "GS", "GR". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gob"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gob" is /ɡɒb/. 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 "gob"?
From Middle English gobbe (also Middle English gobet), from Old French gobet, gobe (“lump, mouthful”), from Transalpine Gaulish *gobbo- (“neb, muzzle”). 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 "gob", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

GTR#41,656eon#41,614IaC#41,681igg#41,684

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list