grabbed

/ɡɹæbd/

//ɡɹæbd// verb

"grabbed" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“grabbed” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #6,361 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#6,361
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - simple past and past participle of grab

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

grabbed vs graded
71% similar
grabbed vs grated
71% similar
grabbed vs graced
71% similar

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

Key facts for grabbed
PropertyValue
Headwordgrabbed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɡɹæbd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#6,361
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “grabbed” 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). grabbed 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 grabbed is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɹæbd/. Corpus data places it at rank #6,361 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "simple past and past participle of grab".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for grabbed, with forms such as "garbbed", "ggrabbed", and "grabbde". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "graded", "grated", "graced", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is grabbed, spelled G-R-A-B-B-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of grab

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: garbbed,ggrabbed,grabbde,grabbedd,grabebd,grabed,grbabed,grrabbed,rgabbed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of grabbed - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

garbbed2ggrabbed1grabbde2grabbedd1grabebd2grabed1grbabed2grrabbed1
Edit distance from "grabbed"

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 "grabbed"?
"grabbed" is spelled G-R-A-B-B-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹæbd/.
What does "grabbed" mean?
As a verb, "grabbed" means: simple past and past participle of grab
What words are commonly confused with "grabbed"?
"grabbed" is commonly confused with "graded", "grated", "graced". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grabbed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grabbed" is /ɡɹæbd/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "grabbed" come from?
"grabbed" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “grabbed”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-R-A-B-B-E-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡɹæbd/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “graded” - see the side-by-side comparison. grabbed vs graded
  • 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