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” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #239 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#239
frequency rank, English
3
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A deity or supreme being; a supernatural, typically immortal, being with superior powers, to which personhood is attributed.

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). god lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for god is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɒd/. Corpus data places it at rank #239 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

Using “god”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-O-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡɒd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “GP” - see the side-by-side comparison. god vs GP
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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