government

/ˈɡʌv.ɚ(n).mənt/

//ˈɡʌv.ɚ(n).mənt// noun

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

"government" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“government” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #240 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#240
frequency rank, English
10
letters
16
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

government vs governments
91% similar
government vs governmental
83% similar
government vs goverment
90% similar

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

Key facts for government
PropertyValue
Headwordgovernment
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡʌv.ɚ(n).mənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#240
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “government” 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). government lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for government is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡʌv.ɚ(n).mənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #240 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for government, with forms such as "ggovernment", "goevrnment", and "govenrment". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "governments", "governmental", "goverment", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English governement, from Old French governement (modern French gouvernement), from governer (see govern) + -ment. Morphologically govern + -ment. Displaced native Old English gerec, leodweard, ræden, rǣding and ealdordōm. The correct English form is government, spelled G-O-V-E-R-N-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.
  2. 2
    The relationship between a word and its dependents.
  3. 3
    The state and its administration viewed as the ruling political power.
  4. 4
    The management or control of a system.
  5. 5
    The tenure of a head of government; the ministry or administration led by a specified individual.
  6. 6
    In a parliamentary system, the political party or coalition in power; its condition of being in power.
  7. 7
    The team tasked with presenting and speaking in favour of a resolution, as opposed to the opposition.
  8. 8
    Ellipsis of government name, one's legal name according to a government.

Etymology

From Middle English governement, from Old French governement (modern French gouvernement), from governer (see govern) + -ment. Morphologically govern + -ment. Displaced native Old English gerec, leodweard, ræden, rǣding and ealdordōm.

Synonyms

administrationgovernancemanagementstatismgovernment

Antonyms

anarchychaosinsurgencypeoplerebellionshadow governmentuprising

This word in other languages

gobierno(Español)gouvernement(Français)Regierung(Deutsch)governo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggovernment,goevrnment,govenrment,govermnent,governemnt,governmennt,governmentt,governmetn,governmment,governmnet,governnment,goverrnment,govrenment,govvernment,gvoernment,ogvernment

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggovernment1goevrnment2govenrment2govermnent2governemnt2governmennt1governmentt1governmetn2
Edit distance from "government"

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 "government"?
"government" is spelled G-O-V-E-R-N-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡʌv.ɚ(n).mənt/.
What does "government" mean?
As a noun, "government" means: The body with the power to make and/or enforce laws to control a country, land area, people or organization.
What words are commonly confused with "government"?
"government" is commonly confused with "governments", "governmental", "goverment". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "government"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "government" is /ˈɡʌv.ɚ(n).mənt/. 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 "government"?
From Middle English governement, from Old French governement (modern French gouvernement), from governer (see govern) + -ment. Morphologically govern + -ment. Displaced native Old English gerec, leodweard, ræden, rǣding and ealdordōm. 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 “government”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-O-V-E-R-N-M-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡʌv.ɚ(n).mənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “governments” - see the side-by-side comparison. government vs governments
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list