goo
/ɡuː/
"goo" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“goo” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #16,927 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #16,927
- frequency rank, English
- 3
- letters
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any semi-solid or liquid substance; especially one that is sticky, gummy or slippery, unpleasant, and of vague or unknown composition, such as slime or semen.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | goo |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɡuː/ |
| Letters | 3 |
| Frequency rank | #16,927 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “goo” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for goo is 3 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡuː/. Corpus data places it at rank #16,927 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for goo, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. 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: Etymology tree English burgoo? Proto-Indo-European *gleyH- Proto-Indo-European *glóh₁ytn̥ Proto-Italic *gloiten Latin glūten Late Latin glūs Old French glubor. Middle English glew English glue? English goo American English, attested since 1903, possibly fro… The correct English form is goo, spelled G-O-O.
Definition
- 1Any semi-solid or liquid substance; especially one that is sticky, gummy or slippery, unpleasant, and of vague or unknown composition, such as slime or semen.
- 2Excessive, showy sentimentality.
Etymology
Etymology tree English burgoo? Proto-Indo-European *gleyH- Proto-Indo-European *glóh₁ytn̥ Proto-Italic *gloiten Latin glūten Late Latin glūs Old French glubor. Middle English glew English glue? English goo American English, attested since 1903, possibly from burgoo (“thick porridge”); alternatively, an alteration of glue.
This word in other languages
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 "goo"?
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Using “goo”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-O-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɡuː/ (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. goo 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.