gratuity

/ɡɹəˈtjuːətɪ/

//ɡɹəˈtjuːətɪ// noun

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

"gratuity" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gratuity” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,818. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,818
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An additional payment given freely as thanks for service.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gratuity · gratuity · English

gratuity · rank #44,818 · 12 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #44,818
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grayling

Nearest frequency peer: grayling (+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 “gratuity”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gratuity” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gratuity vs gravity
75% similar

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

Key facts for gratuity
PropertyValue
Headwordgratuity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɹəˈtjuːətɪ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#44,818
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gratuity”

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).gratuitylands 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 “grayling” (#44,819), “Govan” (#44,816), “Groningen” (#44,820). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gratuity” is #44,818. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around gratuity (IPA /ɡɹəˈtjuːətɪ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,818 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for gratuity, with forms such as "gartuity", "ggratuity", and "gratiuty". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "gravity", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French gratuité (from Old French gratuite) or directly from Medieval Latin gratuitas (“a free gift”), from Latin gratuitus (“freely given, free”); see gratuitous. The correct English form is gratuity, spelled G-R-A-T-U-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An additional payment given freely as thanks for service.
  2. 2
    Euphemistic form of fee, in contexts where such additional payments have been made obligatory.
  3. 3
    Euphemistic form of bribe.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. service gratuity
  2. cash gratuity

Etymology

From Middle French gratuité (from Old French gratuite) or directly from Medieval Latin gratuitas (“a free gift”), from Latin gratuitus (“freely given, free”); see gratuitous.

Synonyms

douceurgracepourboiretipbaksheeshcumshawgiftservice chargedouceurtipbribelagniappe

This word in other languages

dádiva(Español)pourboire(Français)Zuwendung(Deutsch)gorjeta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gartuity
  • ggratuity
  • gratiuty
  • grattuity
  • gratuitty
  • gratuityy
  • gratuiyt
  • gratutiy
  • grautity
  • grratuity
  • grtauity
  • rgatuity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gartuity2ggratuity1gratiuty2grattuity1gratuitty1gratuityy1gratuiyt2gratutiy2
Edit distance from "gratuity"

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 "gratuity"?
"gratuity" is spelled G-R-A-T-U-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹəˈtjuːətɪ/.
What does "gratuity" mean?
As a noun, "gratuity" means: An additional payment given freely as thanks for service.
What words are commonly confused with "gratuity"?
"gratuity" is commonly confused with "gravity". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gratuity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gratuity" is /ɡɹəˈtjuːətɪ/. 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 "gratuity"?
From Middle French gratuité (from Old French gratuite) or directly from Medieval Latin gratuitas (“a free gift”), from Latin gratuitus (“freely given, free”); see gratuitous. 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 "gratuity", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grayling#44,819Glenwood#44,812haggling#44,824Harkness#44,830

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

flagpole12 variantshumanely12 variantsfallacious12 variantsEuripides12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list