# Gollum

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡɑləm/ · frequency rank #41,649

## Definitions
1. A person who bears the traits or has the characteristics of Gollum in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth.

## Etymology
A fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth. In the story, he was originally known as Sméagol but was later named Gollum after his habit of making “a horrible swallowing noise in his throat”.
The name Sméagol comes from Old English smeagan (“to question, scrutinize”).

## Easily confused with
- **golly** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gollum-vs-golly)
- **golem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/golem-vs-gollum)
- **Gallup** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gallup-vs-gollum)
- **gallium** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gallium-vs-gollum)

## Common misspellings (7)
`ggollum`, `glolum`, `gollmu`, `gollumm`, `golulm`, `golum`, `ogllum`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gollum