Gordian
"gordian" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“Gordian” is uncommon English (frequency #74,129 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #74,129
- frequency rank, English
- 2,313
- “G” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to Gordium (now Yassihüyük in Turkey), capital of Phrygia.
Corpus desk
Index EN-gordian · Gordian · English
Gordian · rank #74,129 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #74,129
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,313
- PHOTO-FINISH Golgotha
Nearest frequency peer: Golgotha (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “Gordian”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- glassman
glassman
25,876 corpus weight
- GLBT
GLBT
25,875 corpus weight
- Golgotha
Golgotha
25,873 corpus weight
- Gordian
Gordian
25,872 corpus weight
- gouges
gouges
25,871 corpus weight
- graveside
graveside
25,869 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “Gordian” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Gordian |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #74,129 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “Gordian” in English
Rare enough to double-check
Gordian is uncommon English at frequency #74,129 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for Gordian, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Gordius + -an or Gordium + -an. The correct English form is Gordian, spelled G-O-R-D-I-A-N.
Definition
- 1Of or pertaining to Gordium (now Yassihüyük in Turkey), capital of Phrygia.
- 2Of or pertaining to Gordius, king of Phrygia
- 3Of the Gordian knot.
- 4Twisted; convoluted; tied as a knot.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how Gordian appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
[…] cloſe the Serpent ſly, Inſinuating, wove with Gordian twine His braided train, […]
[…] he found a palpitating snake, / Bright, and cirque-couchant in a dusky brake. / She was a gordian shape of dazzling hue, / Vermilion-spotted, golden, green, and blue; […]
Etymology
From Gordius + -an or Gordium + -an.
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "Gordian", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).