greed

/ɡɹiːd/

//ɡɹiːd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“greed” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,707. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,707
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-greed · greed · English

greed · rank #10,707 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,707
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grapes

Nearest frequency peer: grapes (-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 “greed”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “greed” 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).

greed vs grew
60% similar
greed vs grey
60% similar
greed vs Greg
40% similar

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

Key facts for greed
PropertyValue
Headwordgreed
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɹiːd/
Letters5
Frequency rank#10,707
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “greed”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).greedlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “grapes” (#10,706), “greet” (#10,708), “Grammy” (#10,705). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “greed” is #10,707. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around greed (IPA /ɡɹiːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,707 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for greed, with forms such as "gered", "ggreed", and "gred". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "grew", "grey", "Greg", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: c. 1600. Back-formation from greedy. The correct English form is greed, spelled G-R-E-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His greed was his undoing.
  2. […]But when I had bestridden the plank, quoth I to myself, "Thou deserveth all that betideth thee. All this is decreed to me of Allah (whose name be exalted!), to turn me from my greed of gain, whence ariseth all that I endure, for I have wealth galore."

Etymology

c. 1600. Back-formation from greedy.

Synonyms

avaricecovetisecovetousnesscupiditygluttonygreedgreedinessMammonrapaciousnessrapacityravinvoracity

Antonyms

charity

This word in other languages

codicia(Español)avidité(Français)Gier(Deutsch)avareza(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gered
  • ggreed
  • gred
  • grede
  • greedd
  • grreed
  • rgeed

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of greed - 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.

gered2ggreed1gred1grede2greedd1grreed1rgeed2
Edit distance from "greed"

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 "greed"?
"greed" is spelled G-R-E-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹiːd/.
What does "greed" mean?
As a noun, "greed" means: A selfish or excessive desire for more than is needed or deserved, especially of money, wealth, food, or other possessions.
What words are commonly confused with "greed"?
"greed" is commonly confused with "grew", "grey", "Greg". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "greed"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "greed" is /ɡɹiːd/. 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 "greed"?
c. 1600. Back-formation from greedy. 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 "greed", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

greet#10,708grabs#10,704glove#10,703genus#10,701

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

gases7 variantsexcel7 variantsnegro7 variantsDixon7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list