gravity

/ˈɡɹævɪti/

//ˈɡɹævɪti// noun

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

The verdict

“gravity” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,046 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#5,046
frequency rank, English
7
letters
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Senses relating to seriousness.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gravity vs gravy
71% similar
gravity vs grainy
71% similar
gravity vs granite
71% similar

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

Key facts for gravity
PropertyValue
Headwordgravity
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɹævɪti/
Letters7
Frequency rank#5,046
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gravity” 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). gravity 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 gravity is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɹævɪti/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,046 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for gravity, with forms such as "garvity", "ggravity", and "graivty". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "gravy", "grainy", "granite", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us Proto-Italic *gʷraus Latin gravis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin gravit… The correct English form is gravity, spelled G-R-A-V-I-T-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Senses relating to seriousness.
  2. 2
    Senses relating to seriousness.
  3. 3
    Senses relating to seriousness.
  4. 4
    Senses relating to physical qualities.
  5. 5
    Senses relating to physical qualities.
  6. 6
    Senses relating to physical qualities.
  7. 7
    Senses relating to physical qualities.
  8. 8
    Senses relating to physical qualities.
  9. 9
    Senses relating to physical qualities.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us Proto-Italic *gʷraus Latin gravis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās Latin gravitāslbor. French gravitébor. ▲ Latin gravitāslbor. English gravity Borrowed from French gravité (“seriousness, solemnity; severity; (physics) gravity”), or from its etymon Latin gravitās (“heaviness, weight; seriousness; severity”) + English -ity (suffix forming nouns, especially abstract nouns). Gravitās is derived from gravis (“heavy; grave, serious”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- (“heavy”)) + -tās (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns indicating states of being). The English word was first used figuratively, and gained the senses relating to physical qualities in the 17th century. Doublet of gravitas.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: garvity,ggravity,graivty,gravitty,gravityy,graviyt,gravtiy,gravvity,grravity,grvaity,rgavity

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gravity - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

garvity2ggravity1graivty2gravitty1gravityy1graviyt2gravtiy2gravvity1
Edit distance from "gravity"

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 "gravity"?
"gravity" is spelled G-R-A-V-I-T-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹævɪti/.
What does "gravity" mean?
As a noun, "gravity" means: Senses relating to seriousness.
What words are commonly confused with "gravity"?
"gravity" is commonly confused with "gravy", "grainy", "granite". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gravity"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gravity" is /ˈɡɹævɪti/. 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 "gravity"?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *gʷreh₂- Proto-Indo-European *-us Proto-Indo-European *gʷréh₂us Proto-Italic *gʷraus Latin gravis Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ Proto-Indo-European *-ts Proto-Indo-European *-teh₂ts Proto-Italic *-tāts Latin -tās La... 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 “gravity”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-R-A-V-I-T-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡɹævɪti/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “gravy” - see the side-by-side comparison. gravity vs gravy
  • 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