gorgon

/ˈɡɔːrɡən/

//ˈɡɔːrɡən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gorgon” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,951. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#45,951
frequency rank, English
18,276
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A vicious female monster from Greek mythology with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. One of the three sisters: Medusa, Stheno and Euryale

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gorgon vs Gorman
50% similar
gorgon vs Gurgaon
57% similar
gorgon vs goon
67% similar

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

Key facts for gorgon
PropertyValue
Headwordgorgon
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɔːrɡən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#45,951
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gorgon” 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). gorgon lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around gorgon (IPA /ˈɡɔːrɡən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,951 among 18,276 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for gorgon, with forms such as "ggorgon", "gogron", and "gorggon". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "Gorman", "Gurgaon", "goon", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gorgon, from Latin Gorgō, from Ancient Greek Γοργώ (Gorgṓ), from γοργός (gorgós, “terrible”). Possibly from the same root as the Sanskrit word "garğ" (गर्जन), which is defined as a guttural sound, similar to the growling of a beast, thus… The correct English form is gorgon, spelled G-O-R-G-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A vicious female monster from Greek mythology with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. One of the three sisters: Medusa, Stheno and Euryale
  2. 2
    An intimidating, ugly, or disgusting woman; anything hideous or horrid.

Etymology

From Middle English gorgon, from Latin Gorgō, from Ancient Greek Γοργώ (Gorgṓ), from γοργός (gorgós, “terrible”). Possibly from the same root as the Sanskrit word "garğ" (गर्जन), which is defined as a guttural sound, similar to the growling of a beast, thus possibly originating as an onomatopoeia.

This word in other languages

gorgone(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggorgon
  • gogron
  • gorggon
  • gorgno
  • gorgonn
  • gorogn
  • gorrgon
  • grogon
  • ogrgon

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggorgon1gogron2gorggon1gorgno2gorgonn1gorogn2gorrgon1grogon2
Edit distance from "gorgon"

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 "gorgon"?
"gorgon" is spelled G-O-R-G-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɔːrɡən/.
What does "gorgon" mean?
As a noun, "gorgon" means: A vicious female monster from Greek mythology with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes. One of the three sisters: Medusa, Stheno and Euryale
What words are commonly confused with "gorgon"?
"gorgon" is commonly confused with "Gorman", "Gurgaon", "goon". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gorgon"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gorgon" is /ˈɡɔːrɡən/. 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 "gorgon"?
From Middle English gorgon, from Latin Gorgō, from Ancient Greek Γοργώ (Gorgṓ), from γοργός (gorgós, “terrible”). Possibly from the same root as the Sanskrit word "garğ" (गर्जन), which is defined as a guttural sound, similar to the growling of a b... 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 “gorgon”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-O-R-G-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡɔːrɡən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Gorman” - see the side-by-side comparison. gorgon vs Gorman
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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