gourd

/ɡʊəd/

//ɡʊəd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gourd” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #36,161. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#36,161
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any of the trailing or climbing vines producing fruit with a hard rind or shell, from the genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita (in Cucurbitaceae).

Corpus desk

Index EN-gourd · gourd · English

gourd · rank #36,161 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #36,161
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gloriously

Nearest frequency peer: gloriously (-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 “gourd”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gourd” 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).

gourd vs guru
60% similar
gourd vs gout
60% similar
gourd vs gurl
60% similar

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

Key facts for gourd
PropertyValue
Headwordgourd
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡʊəd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#36,161
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gourd”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).gourdlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “gloriously” (#36,160), “Glamorgan” (#36,159), “getter” (#36,158). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gourd” is #36,161. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around gourd (IPA /ɡʊəd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #36,161 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for gourd, with forms such as "ggourd", "gorud", and "goudr". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "guru", "gout", "gurl", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gourde, from Anglo-Norman gurde, gourde, from Latin cucurbita. Doublet of cucurbit. The correct English form is gourd, spelled G-O-U-R-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Any of the trailing or climbing vines producing fruit with a hard rind or shell, from the genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita (in Cucurbitaceae).
  2. 2
    A hard-shelled fruit from a plant in Lagenaria or Cucurbita.
  3. 3
    The dried and hardened shell of such fruit, made into a drinking vessel, bowl, spoon, or other objects designed for use or decoration.
  4. 4
    Any of the climbing or trailing plants from the family Cucurbitaceae, which includes watermelon, pumpkins, and cucumbers.
  5. 5
    Loaded dice.
  6. 6
    A person's head.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I got so stoned last night. I was out of my gourd.

Etymology

From Middle English gourde, from Anglo-Norman gurde, gourde, from Latin cucurbita. Doublet of cucurbit.

This word in other languages

güiro(Español)calebasse(Français)Flaschenkürbis(Deutsch)cabaceira(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggourd
  • gorud
  • goudr
  • gourdd
  • gourrd
  • guord
  • ogurd

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggourd1gorud2goudr2gourdd1gourrd1guord2ogurd2
Edit distance from "gourd"

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 "gourd"?
"gourd" is spelled G-O-U-R-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡʊəd/.
What does "gourd" mean?
As a noun, "gourd" means: Any of the trailing or climbing vines producing fruit with a hard rind or shell, from the genera Lagenaria and Cucurbita (in Cucurbitaceae).
What words are commonly confused with "gourd"?
"gourd" is commonly confused with "guru", "gout", "gurl". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gourd"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gourd" is /ɡʊəd/. 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 "gourd"?
From Middle English gourde, from Anglo-Norman gurde, gourde, from Latin cucurbita. Doublet of cucurbit. 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 "gourd", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

grins#36,164fizzy#36,144entre#36,126Jacky#36,202

Similar misspelling depth

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

getter7 variantsHallam7 variantsfalter7 variantsEocene7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list