gossip

/ˈɡɒsɪp/

//ˈɡɒsɪp// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gossip” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,547. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,547
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gossip · gossip · English

gossip · rank #8,547 · 7 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,547
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH ghosts

Nearest frequency peer: ghosts (-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 “gossip”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gossip” 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).

gossip vs goss
67% similar

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

Key facts for gossip
PropertyValue
Headwordgossip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɒsɪp/
Letters6
Frequency rank#8,547
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gossip”

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).gossiplands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ghosts” (#8,546), “GP” (#8,548), “GF” (#8,545). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gossip” is #8,547. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around gossip (IPA /ˈɡɒsɪp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #8,547 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for gossip, with forms such as "ggossip", "gosip", and "gosisp". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "goss", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English godsybbe, godsib (“a close friend or relation, a confidant; a godparent”), from Old English godsibb (“godparent, sponsor”), equivalent to god + sib. Doublet of godsib. For sense evolution to "gossip, discussing others' personal affairs,"… The correct English form is gossip, spelled G-O-S-S-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.
  2. 2
    Idle talk about someone’s private or personal matters, especially about someone not present.
  3. 3
    Idle conversation in general.
  4. 4
    A genre in contemporary media, usually focused on the personal affairs of celebrities.
  5. 5
    Communication done using a gossip protocol.
  6. 6
    A sponsor; a godfather or godmother; the godparent of one's child or godchild, or the parent of one's godchild.
  7. 7
    A familiar acquaintance.
  8. 8
    Title used with the name of one's child's godparent or of a friend.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how gossip appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Be careful what you say to him: he’s a bit of a gossip.
  2. A losing Gamester, who is obliged to drive into the City to dispose of a little South Sea Stock, gives the Hint there. The Gossips at Garraway’s have it in a Moment: At One it is buzz’d on Change, and the circulating Whisper in the Boxes interrupts the Play at Night.

Etymology

From Middle English godsybbe, godsib (“a close friend or relation, a confidant; a godparent”), from Old English godsibb (“godparent, sponsor”), equivalent to god + sib. Doublet of godsib. For sense evolution to "gossip, discussing others' personal affairs," compare French commérage.

This word in other languages

chismoso(Español)commère(Français)Tratsche(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggossip
  • gosip
  • gosisp
  • gossipp
  • gosspi
  • gsosip
  • ogssip

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gossip - 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.

ggossip1gosip1gosisp2gossipp1gosspi2gsosip2ogssip2
Edit distance from "gossip"

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 "gossip"?
"gossip" is spelled G-O-S-S-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɒsɪp/.
What does "gossip" mean?
As a noun, "gossip" means: Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.
What words are commonly confused with "gossip"?
"gossip" is commonly confused with "goss". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gossip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gossip" is /ˈɡɒsɪp/. 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 "gossip"?
From Middle English godsybbe, godsib (“a close friend or relation, a confidant; a godparent”), from Old English godsibb (“godparent, sponsor”), equivalent to god + sib. Doublet of godsib. For sense evolution to "gossip, discussing others' personal... 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 "gossip", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

ghosts#8,546header#8,552lining#8,570clutch#8,523

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

fools7 variantskarma7 variantschoir7 variantsmasks7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list