gopher

/ˈɡəʊfə/

//ˈɡəʊfə// noun

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

"gopher" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gopher” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,083. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,083
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (pocket gophers).

Corpus desk

Index EN-gopher · gopher · English

gopher · rank #34,083 · 9 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,083
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH glycol

Nearest frequency peer: glycol (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “gopher”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “gopher” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

gopher vs Gower
50% similar
gopher vs Goshen
50% similar
gopher vs goer
67% similar

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

Key facts for gopher
PropertyValue
Headwordgopher
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡəʊfə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#34,083
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gopher”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).gopherlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “glycol” (#34,082), “governess” (#34,084), “glistening” (#34,081). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gopher” is #34,083. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around gopher (IPA /ˈɡəʊfə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,083 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for gopher, with forms such as "ggopher", "gohper", and "gopehr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "Gower", "Goshen", "goer", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Perhaps an adaptation of Cajun French gaufre (literally “honeycomb, waffle”), based on the analogy of holes in the ground to the indentations in a honeycomb or a waffle (doublet of waffle). Alternatively, from Muskogean. The correct English form is gopher, spelled G-O-P-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (pocket gophers).
  2. 2
    A ground squirrel (Marmotinae spp.).
  3. 3
    A gopher tortoise (Gopherus spp.).
  4. 4
    A gopher rockfish (Sebastes carnatus).
  5. 5
    A Golang programmer.

Etymology

Perhaps an adaptation of Cajun French gaufre (literally “honeycomb, waffle”), based on the analogy of holes in the ground to the indentations in a honeycomb or a waffle (doublet of waffle). Alternatively, from Muskogean.

This word in other languages

topo(Español)géomys(Français)Ziesel(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggopher
  • gohper
  • gopehr
  • gopherr
  • gophher
  • gophre
  • goppher
  • gpoher
  • ogpher

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gopher - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ggopher1gohper2gopehr2gopherr1gophher1gophre2goppher1gpoher2
Edit distance from "gopher"

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 "gopher"?
"gopher" is spelled G-O-P-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡəʊfə/.
What does "gopher" mean?
As a noun, "gopher" means: A small burrowing rodent native to North and Central America, especially in the family Geomyidae (pocket gophers).
What words are commonly confused with "gopher"?
"gopher" is commonly confused with "Gower", "Goshen", "goer". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gopher"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gopher" is /ˈɡəʊfə/. 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 "gopher"?
Perhaps an adaptation of Cajun French gaufre (literally “honeycomb, waffle”), based on the analogy of holes in the ground to the indentations in a honeycomb or a waffle (doublet of waffle). Alternatively, from Muskogean. 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 "gopher", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

glycol#34,082Girard#34,080Gilead#34,079grinch#34,089

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

grinned9 variantsgawker9 variantshander9 variantsFleury9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list