gouge

/ɡaʊd͡ʒ/

//ɡaʊd͡ʒ// noun

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

"gouge" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gouge” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #41,154. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#41,154
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Senses relating to cutting tools.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gouge · gouge · English

gouge · rank #41,154 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #41,154
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gots

Nearest frequency peer: gots (-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 “gouge”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gouge” 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).

gouge vs gout
60% similar
gouge vs gove
60% similar
gouge vs gould
60% similar

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

Key facts for gouge
PropertyValue
Headwordgouge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡaʊd͡ʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#41,154
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gouge”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).gougelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “gots” (#41,153), “Goulburn” (#41,155), “Gopal” (#41,152). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gouge” is #41,154. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around gouge (IPA /ɡaʊd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #41,154 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for gouge, with forms such as "ggouge", "gogue", and "goueg". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "gout", "gove", "gould", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gouge (“chisel with concave blade; gouge”), from Old French gouge, goi (“gouge”), from Late Latin goia, gubia, gulbia (“chisel; piercer”), borrowed from Gaulish *gulbiā, from Proto-Celtic *gulbā, *gulbi, *gulbīnos (“beak, bill”). The Eng… The correct English form is gouge, spelled G-O-U-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Senses relating to cutting tools.
  2. 2
    Senses relating to cutting tools.
  3. 3
    Senses relating to cutting tools.
  4. 4
    A cut or groove, as left by a gouge or something sharp.
  5. 5
    An act of gouging.
  6. 6
    A cheat, a fraud; an imposition.
  7. 7
    An impostor.
  8. 8
    Soft material lying between the wall of a vein and the solid vein of ore.
  9. 9
    Information.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The "steeple" was a little cupola, reared on the very centre of the roof, on four tall pillars of pine, that were fluted with a gouge, and loaded with mouldings.
  2. The cutting [of letter blocks] is effected by chisels and gouges of the usual kinds, and is the work of a class of artizans called 'Wood letter Cutters,' or 'Wood-type Cutters.'

Etymology

From Middle English gouge (“chisel with concave blade; gouge”), from Old French gouge, goi (“gouge”), from Late Latin goia, gubia, gulbia (“chisel; piercer”), borrowed from Gaulish *gulbiā, from Proto-Celtic *gulbā, *gulbi, *gulbīnos (“beak, bill”). The English word is cognate with Italian gorbia, gubbia (“ferrule”), Old Breton golb, Old Irish gulba (“beak”), Portuguese goiva, Scottish Gaelic gilb (“chisel”), Spanish gubia (“chisel, gouge”), Welsh gylf (“beak; pointed instrument”), gylyf (“sickle”). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

gubia(Español)gouge(Français)Grabstichel(Deutsch)ranhura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggouge
  • gogue
  • goueg
  • gougge
  • guoge
  • oguge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggouge1gogue2goueg2gougge1guoge2oguge2
Edit distance from "gouge"

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 "gouge"?
"gouge" is spelled G-O-U-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡaʊd͡ʒ/.
What does "gouge" mean?
As a noun, "gouge" means: Senses relating to cutting tools.
What words are commonly confused with "gouge"?
"gouge" is commonly confused with "gout", "gove", "gould". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gouge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gouge" is /ɡaʊd͡ʒ/. 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 "gouge"?
From Middle English gouge (“chisel with concave blade; gouge”), from Old French gouge, goi (“gouge”), from Late Latin goia, gubia, gulbia (“chisel; piercer”), borrowed from Gaulish *gulbiā, from Proto-Celtic *gulbā, *gulbi, *gulbīnos (“beak, bill”... 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 "gouge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Gopal#41,152golly#41,150Geary#41,144Hmong#41,177

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

gots6 variantsHalley6 variantslassie6 variantsDINK6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list