gratuitous

/ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪt.əs/

//ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪt.əs// adj

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

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

The verdict

“gratuitous” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #31,195. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#31,195
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Given freely; unearned.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gratuitous · gratuitous · English

gratuitous · rank #31,195 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #31,195
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gratis

Nearest frequency peer: gratis (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “gratuitous”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “gratuitous” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gratuitous
PropertyValue
Headwordgratuitous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪt.əs/
Letters10
Frequency rank#31,195
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gratuitous”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).gratuitouslands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “gratis” (#31,194), “gove” (#31,193), “Guiana” (#31,197). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gratuitous” is #31,195. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around gratuitous (IPA /ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪt.əs/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #31,195 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for gratuitous, with forms such as "gartuitous", "ggratuitous", and "gratiutous". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin grātuītus (“free”), from Latin grātia (“favor”), grātus (“showing favor”). The correct English form is gratuitous, spelled G-R-A-T-U-I-T-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Given freely; unearned.
  2. 2
    Unjustified or unnecessary; not called for by the circumstances.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Also mentioned is the Rev. T. Stock, who has a tablet in St John's church [Gloucester] and "who with Raikes established the four original Sunday schools in this parish ... in 1780. From this small beginning sprung that gratuitous system of Christian instruction which has covered the face of England and Wales with schools."
  2. gratuitous violence

Etymology

From Latin grātuītus (“free”), from Latin grātia (“favor”), grātus (“showing favor”).

Synonyms

freegratisunjustifiedgroundlessbaselessunfoundedunnecessary

Antonyms

onerous

This word in other languages

gratuito(Español)gratuit(Français)gratis(Deutsch)gratuito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gartuitous
  • ggratuitous
  • gratiutous
  • grattuitous
  • gratuiotus
  • gratuitosu
  • gratuitouss
  • gratuittous
  • gratuituos
  • gratutious
  • grautitous
  • grratuitous
  • grtauitous
  • rgatuitous

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gartuitous2ggratuitous1gratiutous2grattuitous1gratuiotus2gratuitosu2gratuitouss1gratuittous1
Edit distance from "gratuitous"

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 "gratuitous"?
"gratuitous" is spelled G-R-A-T-U-I-T-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪt.əs/.
What does "gratuitous" mean?
As an adjective, "gratuitous" means: Given freely; unearned.
What are common misspellings of "gratuitous"?
Common misspellings include "gartuitous", "ggratuitous", "gratiutous", "grattuitous", "gratuiotus". The correct spelling is "gratuitous".
How do you pronounce "gratuitous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gratuitous" is /ɡɹəˈtjuː.ɪt.əs/. 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 "gratuitous"?
From Latin grātuītus (“free”), from Latin grātia (“favor”), grātus (“showing favor”). 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 "gratuitous", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

enlistment#31,159empathetic#31,155disqualify#31,139diagonally#31,136

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

honeycomb14 variantsHutchison14 variantsimpassioned14 variantsindemnity14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list