greedy

/ˈɡɹiːdi/

//ˈɡɹiːdi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“greedy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #10,376 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#10,376
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having greed; consumed by selfish desires.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

greedy vs grey
67% similar
greedy vs green
67% similar
greedy vs Greek
50% similar

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

Key facts for greedy
PropertyValue
Headwordgreedy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡɹiːdi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,376
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “greedy” 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). greedy 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 greedy is 6 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɡɹiːdi/. Corpus data places it at rank #10,376 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 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for greedy, with forms such as "geredy", "ggreedy", and "gredey". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "grey", "green", "Greek", 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 gredy, from Anglian Old English grēdiġ (“greedy, hungry, eager”) (cognate West Saxon form grǣdiġ), from Proto-Germanic *grēdagaz (“hungry”), from Proto-Germanic *grēdaz, *grēduz, *grēdô (“hunger”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer-. Equiva… The correct English form is greedy, spelled G-R-E-E-D-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having greed; consumed by selfish desires.
  2. 2
    Prone to overeat.
  3. 3
    Tending to match as much text as possible.
  4. 4
    That tries to find the global optimum by finding the local optimum at each stage.
  5. 5
    Greedily sought or pursued.

Etymology

From Middle English gredy, from Anglian Old English grēdiġ (“greedy, hungry, eager”) (cognate West Saxon form grǣdiġ), from Proto-Germanic *grēdagaz (“hungry”), from Proto-Germanic *grēdaz, *grēduz, *grēdô (“hunger”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer-. Equivalent to greed + -y. Cognate with Old Saxon grādag (“greedy”), Dutch graag (“gladly, willingly”), Old High German grātag (“greedy”), Danish grådig (“greedy”), Norwegian Bokmål grådig (“greedy”) (from Old Norse gráðigr (“greedy”), gráði (“greed, hunger”)), Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐌴𐌳𐌰𐌲𐍃 (grēdags, “hungry”). Sanskrit गृद्धि (gṛddhi, “greed”) is a false cognate.

Synonyms

gluttonousacquisitiveavariciouscormorantcovetousedaciousesurientgraspinggreedymiserablepiggishmiserlyrapaciousselfishsordidsharp-setvoracious

This word in other languages

codicioso(Español)avaricieux(Français)gierig(Deutsch)avaro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: geredy,ggreedy,gredey,gredy,greeddy,greedyy,greeyd,grreedy,rgeedy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

geredy2ggreedy1gredey2gredy1greeddy1greedyy1greeyd2grreedy1
Edit distance from "greedy"

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 "greedy"?
"greedy" is spelled G-R-E-E-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹiːdi/.
What does "greedy" mean?
As an adjective, "greedy" means: Having greed; consumed by selfish desires.
What words are commonly confused with "greedy"?
"greedy" is commonly confused with "grey", "green", "Greek". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "greedy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "greedy" is /ˈɡɹiːdi/. 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 "greedy"?
From Middle English gredy, from Anglian Old English grēdiġ (“greedy, hungry, eager”) (cognate West Saxon form grǣdiġ), from Proto-Germanic *grēdagaz (“hungry”), from Proto-Germanic *grēdaz, *grēduz, *grēdô (“hunger”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰe... 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 “greedy”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is G-R-E-E-D-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɡɹiːdi/ (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. greedy 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list