graupel
/ˈɡɹaʊp(ə)l/
"graupel" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“graupel” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A precipitation that forms when supercooled droplets of water condense on a snowflake.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | graupel |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɡɹaʊp(ə)l/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “graupel” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for graupel is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɹaʊp(ə)l/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
graupel doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from German Graupel(wetter) (literally “graupel (weather)”). Graupel is a back-formation from graupeln (“to hail (with soft hailstones)”) + -el (diminutive suffix); and graupeln is from Graupe (“hulled grain, pearl barley”) (ultimately from Proto-S… The correct English form is graupel, spelled G-R-A-U-P-E-L.
Definition
- 1A precipitation that forms when supercooled droplets of water condense on a snowflake.
- 2A small ball of rime resulting from this process.
Etymology
Borrowed from German Graupel(wetter) (literally “graupel (weather)”). Graupel is a back-formation from graupeln (“to hail (with soft hailstones)”) + -el (diminutive suffix); and graupeln is from Graupe (“hulled grain, pearl barley”) (ultimately from Proto-Slavic *krūpà (“grainy substance; groats; hail”) and Proto-Indo-European *krewp-) + -eln (suffix forming verbs, often with a diminutive or frequentative sense).
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “graupel”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-R-A-U-P-E-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɡɹaʊp(ə)l/ (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.