gravy

/ˈɡɹeɪvi/

//ˈɡɹeɪvi// noun

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

"gravy" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gravy” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,418. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,418
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gravy · gravy · English

gravy · rank #15,418 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,418
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gradient

Nearest frequency peer: gradient (-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 “gravy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gravy” 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).

gravy vs grey
60% similar
gravy vs gray
80% similar
gravy vs grove
60% similar

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

Key facts for gravy
PropertyValue
Headwordgravy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɹeɪvi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#15,418
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gravy”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).gravylands 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 “gradient” (#15,417), “Gonzalez” (#15,416), “Gwen” (#15,420). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gravy” is #15,418. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around gravy (IPA /ˈɡɹeɪvi/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,418 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for gravy, with forms such as "garvy", "ggravy", and "gravvy". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "grey", "gray", "grove", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gravey, greavie, gravy; probably from greaves, graves (“the sediment of melted tallow”), or from Old French grave, a claimed misspelling of grané (“stew, spice”), from grain (“spice”). Sense of "pasta sauce" apparently seems to be from I… The correct English form is gravy, spelled G-R-A-V-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.
  2. 2
    A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.
  3. 3
    Sauce used for pasta.
  4. 4
    Curry sauce.
  5. 5
    Unearned gain; extra benefit.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A roast dinner isn't complete without gravy.
  2. There are few foods more Southern than biscuits and gravy.

Etymology

From Middle English gravey, greavie, gravy; probably from greaves, graves (“the sediment of melted tallow”), or from Old French grave, a claimed misspelling of grané (“stew, spice”), from grain (“spice”). Sense of "pasta sauce" apparently seems to be from Italian dialect, especially Calabrian, differentiating tomato puree (salsa (“sauce”)) from cooked tomato sauce (sugo).

This word in other languages

salsa(Español)profit(Français)Soße(Deutsch)molho(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • garvy
  • ggravy
  • gravvy
  • gravyy
  • grayv
  • grravy
  • grvay
  • rgavy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gravy - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

garvy2ggravy1gravvy1gravyy1grayv2grravy1grvay2rgavy2
Edit distance from "gravy"

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 "gravy"?
"gravy" is spelled G-R-A-V-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹeɪvi/.
What does "gravy" mean?
As a noun, "gravy" means: A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.
What words are commonly confused with "gravy"?
"gravy" is commonly confused with "grey", "gray", "grove". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gravy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gravy" is /ˈɡɹeɪvi/. 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 "gravy"?
From Middle English gravey, greavie, gravy; probably from greaves, graves (“the sediment of melted tallow”), or from Old French grave, a claimed misspelling of grané (“stew, spice”), from grain (“spice”). Sense of "pasta sauce" apparently seems to... 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 "gravy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Haley#15,421fungi#15,414envoy#15,399Eliza#15,394

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Naruto8 variantsByrne8 variantsbodied8 variantsrevise8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list