# gosling

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈɡɒzlɪŋ/ · frequency rank #27,857

## Definitions
1. A young goose.
2. An inexperienced and immature, or foolish and naive, young person.
3. A catkin on willows, nut trees, and pines.

## Etymology
From Late Middle English goslyng (“gosling”), alteration (due to Middle English goos (“goose”)) of earlier gesling (“gosling”), of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse gæsling, géslingr (“gosling”), from gás (“goose”) + -lingr (“-ling”), equivalent to goose + -ling. Cognate with Danish gæsling (“gosling”), Swedish gässling (“gosling”). Compare also Low German gossel, gössel (“gosling”), German Gänslein (“gosling”).

## Easily confused with
- **gushing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gosling-vs-gushing)
- **gouging** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gosling-vs-gouging)
- **gusting** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gosling-vs-gusting)
- **growling** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gosling-vs-growling)
- **going** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/going-vs-gosling)
- **goblin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/goblin-vs-gosling)
- **gasping** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gasping-vs-gosling)
- **Golding** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/golding-vs-gosling)
- **goofing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/goofing-vs-gosling)
- **gassing** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gassing-vs-gosling)
- **Gooding** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gooding-vs-gosling)

## Common misspellings (11)
`ggosling`, `golsing`, `gosilng`, `goslign`, `goslingg`, `goslinng`, `goslling`, `goslnig`, `gossling`, `gsoling`, `ogsling`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/gosling