greasy

/ˈɡɹi.si/

//ˈɡɹi.si// adj

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

"greasy" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“greasy” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,036. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,036
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having a slippery surface; having a surface covered with grease.

Corpus desk

Index EN-greasy · greasy · English

greasy · rank #16,036 · 9 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,036
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grieving

Nearest frequency peer: grieving (+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 “greasy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “greasy” 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).

greasy vs grey
67% similar
greasy vs great
67% similar
greasy vs greys
67% similar

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

Key facts for greasy
PropertyValue
Headwordgreasy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡɹi.si/
Letters6
Frequency rank#16,036
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “greasy”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).greasylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “grieving” (#16,037), “graded” (#16,034), “grooming” (#16,038). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “greasy” is #16,036. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around greasy (IPA /ˈɡɹi.si/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,036 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for greasy, with forms such as "gerasy", "ggreasy", and "graesy". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "grey", "great", "greys", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gresi, gressy, equivalent to grease + -y. The correct English form is greasy, spelled G-R-E-A-S-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having a slippery surface; having a surface covered with grease.
  2. 2
    Containing a lot of grease or fat.
  3. 3
    Shady, sketchy, dodgy, detestable, unethical.
  4. 4
    Fat, bulky.
  5. 5
    Gross; indelicate; indecent.
  6. 6
    Afflicted with the disease called grease.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a greasy mineral
  2. […] mechanic slaves With greasy aprons, rules, and hammers, shall Uplift us to the view […]

Etymology

From Middle English gresi, gressy, equivalent to grease + -y.

This word in other languages

grasiento(Español)schmierig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gerasy
  • ggreasy
  • graesy
  • greassy
  • greasyy
  • greays
  • gresay
  • grreasy
  • rgeasy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gerasy2ggreasy1graesy2greassy1greasyy1greays2gresay2grreasy1
Edit distance from "greasy"

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 "greasy"?
"greasy" is spelled G-R-E-A-S-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹi.si/.
What does "greasy" mean?
As an adjective, "greasy" means: Having a slippery surface; having a surface covered with grease.
What words are commonly confused with "greasy"?
"greasy" is commonly confused with "grey", "great", "greys". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "greasy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "greasy" is /ˈɡɹi.si/. 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 "greasy"?
From Middle English gresi, gressy, equivalent to grease + -y. 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 "greasy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

graded#16,034glitch#16,032gadget#16,029Howell#16,045

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

hideous9 variantsempress9 variantsKramer9 variantsdorsal9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list