gooey

/ˈɡuːi/

//ˈɡuːi// adj

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

"gooey" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gooey” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,508 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#34,508
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

gooey vs grey
60% similar
gooey vs gore
60% similar
gooey vs goon
60% similar

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

Key facts for gooey
PropertyValue
Headwordgooey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡuːi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#34,508
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gooey” 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). gooey 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 gooey is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡuːi/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,508 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for gooey, with forms such as "ggooey", "goeoy", and "goey". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "grey", "gore", "goon", 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 Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Prot… The correct English form is gooey, spelled G-O-O-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky.
  2. 2
    Emotional or sentimental, especially to an excessive extent; mushy, soppy.
  3. 3
    Distasteful, unpleasant.

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 Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic *-gaz Proto-West Germanic *-g Old English -iġ Middle English -y English -ey English gooey The adjective is derived from goo + -ey (a variant of -y (suffix forming adjectives with the sense ‘having the quality of’)). The noun is derived from the adjective.

This word in other languages

baboso(Español)gluant(Français)klebrig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggooey,goeoy,goey,gooeyy,gooye,ogoey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gooey - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ggooey1goeoy2goey1gooeyy1gooye2ogoey2
Edit distance from "gooey"

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 "gooey"?
"gooey" is spelled G-O-O-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡuːi/.
What does "gooey" mean?
As an adjective, "gooey" means: Having the consistency of goo: soft or viscous, and sticky.
What words are commonly confused with "gooey"?
"gooey" is commonly confused with "grey", "gore", "goon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gooey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gooey" is /ˈɡuːi/. 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 "gooey"?
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 Proto-Indo-European *-kos Proto-Germanic ... 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 “gooey”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-O-O-E-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡuːi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “grey” - see the side-by-side comparison. gooey vs grey
  • 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