gratify

/ˈɡrætɪfaɪ/

//ˈɡrætɪfaɪ// verb

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

The verdict

“gratify” is uncommon English (frequency #68,266 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#68,266
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To please.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gratify · gratify · English

gratify · rank #68,266 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #68,266
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grift

Nearest frequency peer: grift (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “gratify”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “gratify” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gratify
PropertyValue
Headwordgratify
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈɡrætɪfaɪ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#68,266
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gratify” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).gratifyfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “grift” (#68,267), “Grigory” (#68,268), “grovel” (#68,269). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gratify” is #68,266. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gratify is uncommon English at frequency #68,266 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ˈɡrætɪfaɪ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for gratify, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French gratifier, from Latin grātificō (“to do a favor to, oblige, please, gratify”), from grātus (“kind, pleasing”) + faciō (“to make”). The correct English form is gratify, spelled G-R-A-T-I-F-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To please.
  2. 2
    To make content; to satisfy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. gratify the critics
  2. gratify the voters

Etymology

From French gratifier, from Latin grātificō (“to do a favor to, oblige, please, gratify”), from grātus (“kind, pleasing”) + faciō (“to make”).

This word in other languages

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 "gratify"?
"gratify" is spelled G-R-A-T-I-F-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡrætɪfaɪ/.
What does "gratify" mean?
As a verb, "gratify" means: To please.
How do you pronounce "gratify"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gratify" is /ˈɡrætɪfaɪ/. 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 "gratify"?
From French gratifier, from Latin grātificō (“to do a favor to, oblige, please, gratify”), from grātus (“kind, pleasing”) + faciō (“to make”). 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 "gratify", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list