goblin

/ˈɡɒb.lɪn/

//ˈɡɒb.lɪn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“goblin” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,353. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#19,353
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A malevolent and grotesque diminutive humanoid, often associated with orcs or trolls.

Corpus desk

Index EN-goblin · goblin · English

goblin · rank #19,353 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #19,353
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gloom

Nearest frequency peer: gloom (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “goblin”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “goblin” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

goblin vs goin
67% similar
goblin vs Golan
50% similar
goblin vs Godwin
50% similar

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

Key facts for goblin
PropertyValue
Headwordgoblin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɒb.lɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#19,353
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “goblin”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).goblinlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “gloom” (#19,352), “Gunner” (#19,354), “glaring” (#19,351). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “goblin” is #19,353. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around goblin (IPA /ˈɡɒb.lɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,353 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for goblin, with forms such as "gbolin", "ggoblin", and "gobblin". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "goin", "Golan", "Godwin", 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 gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Gr… The correct English form is goblin, spelled G-O-B-L-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A malevolent and grotesque diminutive humanoid, often associated with orcs or trolls.
  2. 2
    A hoodoo.
  3. 3
    Short for goblin shark

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. From yͤ hagg & hungry Goblin, yͭ into raggs would rend yee, & yͤ spirit yͭ stand’s by yͤ naked man,
  2. "[…]If he had struck a stroke more to the side just here," said the goblin, tapping the very stone, as it seemed to Curdie, against which his head lay, "he would have been through; but he's a couple of yards past it now, and if he follow the lode it will be a week before it leads him in.[…]"

Etymology

From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from Ancient Greek κόβαλος (kóbalos, “rogue, knave; goblin”). Displaced native Old English pūca from Proto-Germanic *pūkô (“a goblin, spook”).

Synonyms

bugbearbogbogeyboggardboglebug-a-boognomegoblinhobgoblinimpkoboldogreorcpuck

This word in other languages

duende(Español)gobelin(Français)Kobold(Deutsch)duende(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gbolin
  • ggoblin
  • gobblin
  • gobiln
  • goblinn
  • gobllin
  • goblni
  • golbin
  • ogblin

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gbolin2ggoblin1gobblin1gobiln2goblinn1gobllin1goblni2golbin2
Edit distance from "goblin"

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 "goblin"?
"goblin" is spelled G-O-B-L-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɒb.lɪn/.
What does "goblin" mean?
As a noun, "goblin" means: A malevolent and grotesque diminutive humanoid, often associated with orcs or trolls.
What words are commonly confused with "goblin"?
"goblin" is commonly confused with "goin", "Golan", "Godwin". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "goblin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "goblin" is /ˈɡɒb.lɪn/. 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 "goblin"?
From Middle English gobelyn, from Old Northern French gobelin (compare Norman goubelin, Walloon gobelin), possibly a blend of Old Dutch *kobeholdo (“goblin”) (compare Dutch kabouter, German Kobold) and Late Latin cobalus (“mountain sprite”), from ... 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 "goblin", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Gunner#19,354fungal#19,344indigo#19,366fleets#19,338

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

flagged9 variantsfairies9 variantsjamming9 variantslinger9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list