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” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #240. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#240
frequency rank, English
18,276
“G” headwords
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.

Corpus desk

Index EN-government · government · English

government · rank #240 · 16 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #240
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 18,276
  • PHOTO-FINISH god

Nearest frequency peer: god (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “government”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “government” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of May 6, 2026

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.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around government (IPA /ˈɡʌv.ɚ(n).mənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #240 among 18,276 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. British government has historically centred exclusively on London.
  2. […]and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "government", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

everything#261university#407understand#427experience#541

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

department16 variantsthemselves16 variantsproduction16 variantstechnology16 variants
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