gratin

/ɡɹəˈtæn/

//ɡɹəˈtæn// noun

"gratin" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gratin” is an uncommon English word, ranked #66,693 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#66,693
frequency rank, English
6
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The top crust of a dish, consisting of breadcrumbs or grated cheese heated under a grill; the dish itself.

Key facts for gratin
PropertyValue
Headwordgratin
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɹəˈtæn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#66,693
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gratin” 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). gratin 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 gratin is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɹəˈtæn/. Corpus data places it at rank #66,693 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "The top crust of a dish, consisting of breadcrumbs or grated cheese heated under a grill; the dish itself.".

Zero misspellings are on record for gratin in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French gratin. The correct English form is gratin, spelled G-R-A-T-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The top crust of a dish, consisting of breadcrumbs or grated cheese heated under a grill; the dish itself.

Etymology

Borrowed from French gratin.

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 "gratin"?
"gratin" is spelled G-R-A-T-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹəˈtæn/.
What does "gratin" mean?
As a noun, "gratin" means: The top crust of a dish, consisting of breadcrumbs or grated cheese heated under a grill; the dish itself.
How do you pronounce "gratin"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gratin" is /ɡɹəˈtæn/. 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 "gratin"?
Borrowed from French gratin. 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 “gratin”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-R-A-T-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡɹəˈtæn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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