gremlin
/ˈɡɹɛmlɪn/
"gremlin" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“gremlin” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #45,408. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #45,408
- frequency rank, English
- 2,313
- “G” headwords
- 11
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A contemptible person.
Corpus desk
Index EN-gremlin · gremlin · English
gremlin · rank #45,408 · 11 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-MID #45,408
- LEN-LONG 7 letters
- VOW-2 2 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-MID 11 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,313
- PHOTO-FINISH grannies
Nearest frequency peer: grannies (-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 “gremlin”
Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword
- GoH
GoH
54,597 corpus weight
- gramps
gramps
54,596 corpus weight
- grannies
grannies
54,594 corpus weight
- gremlin
gremlin
54,593 corpus weight
- grudgingly
grudgingly
54,591 corpus weight
- Gryffindor
Gryffindor
54,590 corpus weight
What this shows “gremlin” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | gremlin |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɡɹɛmlɪn/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #45,408 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gremlin”
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 11 spelling variants around gremlin (IPA /ˈɡɹɛmlɪn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #45,408 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for gremlin, with forms such as "germlin", "ggremlin", and "grelmin". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * A variant of goblin. * From Irish gruaimín (“gloomy little person”); or from Dutch gremmelen (“to soil, stain; to spoil”), or griemelen, grimmelen (“(obsolete) to abound, teem; to swarm”), but acco… The correct English form is gremlin, spelled G-R-E-M-L-I-N.
Definition
- 1A contemptible person.
- 2An imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined, for example, to damage or dismantle machinery.
- 3Any mysterious, unknown source of mischief or trouble, or the problem created thereby.
- 4A young, inexperienced surfer or skateboarder, regarded as a nuisance.
- 5A person regarded as similar to a fictional gremlin, in particular: mischievous, troublesome, short, or annoying.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how gremlin appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Like Abominable Snowmen, gremlins have never actually been seen; but nobody who works with electronic gear doubts the existence of these mischievous and elusive entities. There are too many malfunctions and failures that can have no other explanation.
Crucial time was saved by the fact Nexus didn't require a Transport & Works Act. Nevertheless, other gremlins kept raising their heads.
Etymology
Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested: * A variant of goblin. * From Irish gruaimín (“gloomy little person”); or from Dutch gremmelen (“to soil, stain; to spoil”), or griemelen, grimmelen (“(obsolete) to abound, teem; to swarm”), but according to the Oxford English Dictionary there is little evidence for such derivations. The word was popularized, especially in the United States, by the children’s novel The Gremlins (1943) by the British author Roald Dahl (1916–1990), in which gremlins sabotage Royal Air Force aircraft in revenge for the destruction of their forest home to make way for an aircraft factory; the creatures later join forces with the British to fight the Nazis.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- germlin
- ggremlin
- grelmin
- gremiln
- gremlinn
- gremllin
- gremlni
- gremmlin
- grmelin
- grremlin
- rgemlin
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gremlin - 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.
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 "gremlin"?
What does "gremlin" mean?
What are common misspellings of "gremlin"?
How do you pronounce "gremlin"?
What is the origin of the word "gremlin"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "gremlin", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).