god

/ɡɒd/

//ɡɒd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“god” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #239) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#239
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A deity or supreme being; a supernatural, typically immortal, being with superior powers, to which personhood is attributed.

Corpus desk

Index EN-god · god · English

god · rank #239 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #239
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH getting

Nearest frequency peer: getting (-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 neighbourhood for “god”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “god” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

god vs GP
0% similar
god vs GS
0% similar
god vs GR
0% similar

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

Key facts for god
PropertyValue
Headwordgod
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɒd/
Letters3
Frequency rank#239
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “god” 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).godlands 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 “getting” (#238), “government” (#240), “however” (#237). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for god is neighbouring look-alikes ("GP", "GS", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ɡɒd/. Frequency #239 among 2,313 “G” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Zero misspellings are on record for god in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "GP", "GS", "GR", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English god, from Old English god, originally neuter, then changed to masculine to reflect the change in religion to Christianity, from Proto-West Germanic *god n, from Proto-Germanic *gudą; see there for further origin. Cognates Cogna… The correct English form is god, spelled G-O-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A deity or supreme being; a supernatural, typically immortal, being with superior powers, to which personhood is attributed.
  2. 2
    An idol.
  3. 3
    An idol.
  4. 4
    A person in a very high position of authority, importance or influence; a powerful ruler or tyrant.
  5. 5
    A person who is exceptionally skilled in a particular activity.
  6. 6
    An exceedingly handsome man.
  7. 7
    The person who owns and runs a multi-user dungeon.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The most frequently used name for the Islamic god is Allah.
  2. When ancient Greeks had a thought, it occurred to them as a god or goddess giving an order. Apollo was telling them to be brave. Athena was telling them to fall in love.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English god, from Old English god, originally neuter, then changed to masculine to reflect the change in religion to Christianity, from Proto-West Germanic *god n, from Proto-Germanic *gudą; see there for further origin. Cognates Cognate with Scots God (“God”), Yola God, Gud (“God”), gud (“god”), Saterland Frisian God (“God”), West Frisian God (“God”), god (“deity, god”), Alemannic German, Cimbrian, German, Luxembourgish and Mòcheno Gott (“God”), Central Franconian Jott (“God”), Dutch god (“deity, god”), Limburgish Gód (“God”), gód (“god”), Vilamovian Göt (“God”), Yiddish גאָט (got, “god; God”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål and Swedish gud (“god; God”), Faroese Gud (“God”), Icelandic goð (“idol, pagan god”), guð, Guð (“God”), Norwegian Nynorsk Gu, Gud (“God”), gu, gud (“god”), Gothic 𐌲𐌿𐌸 (guþ, “deity, god; God”). Not related to the word good or Persian خدا (xodâ, “god”).

Synonyms

godgodshipdeitydivinitymanitousky daddysky fairysupreme being

Antonyms

devilDevilsatanSatan

This word in other languages

dios(Español)dieu(Français)Gott(Deutsch)deus(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 "god"?
"god" is spelled G-O-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɒd/.
What does "god" mean?
As a noun, "god" means: A deity or supreme being; a supernatural, typically immortal, being with superior powers, to which personhood is attributed.
What words are commonly confused with "god"?
"god" 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 "god"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "god" is /ɡɒd/. 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 "god"?
Inherited from Middle English god, from Old English god, originally neuter, then changed to masculine to reflect the change in religion to Christianity, from Proto-West Germanic *god n, from Proto-Germanic *gudą; see there for further origin. Cogn... 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 "god", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

set#234top#244let#228few#226

What to do next

You've looked up "god". Here's where to go from here.

  • "god" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "GP". View pair
  • Usage frequency rank #239 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "G" letter cohort. G–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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