gravy

Name: gravy, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɡɹeɪvi/

//ˈɡɹeɪvi// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“gravy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #15,418 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#15,418
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 8
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A thick sauce made from the fat or juices that come out from meat or vegetables as they are being cooked.

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
Property	Value
Headword	gravy
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈɡɹeɪvi/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#15,418
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gravy” 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). gravy lands here:

#15,418

#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 gravy is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɹeɪvi/. Corpus data places it at rank #15,418 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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

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.

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.

Using “gravy”

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

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