groan

/ɡɹəʊn/

//ɡɹəʊn// noun

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

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

The verdict

“groan” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,771. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,771
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 low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief.

Corpus desk

Index EN-groan · groan · English

groan · rank #24,771 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,771
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH greets

Nearest frequency peer: greets (-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 “groan”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “groan” 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).

groan vs grow
60% similar
groan vs guan
60% similar
groan vs grog
60% similar

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

Key facts for groan
PropertyValue
Headwordgroan
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɹəʊn/
Letters5
Frequency rank#24,771
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “groan”

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).groanlands 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 “greets” (#24,770), “grub” (#24,772), “grated” (#24,769). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “groan” is #24,771. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around groan (IPA /ɡɹəʊn/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,771 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for groan, with forms such as "ggroan", "goran", and "graon". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "grow", "guan", "grog", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gronen, granen, from Old English grānian (“to groan; lament; murmur”), from Proto-West Germanic *grainōn, from Proto-Germanic *grainōną (“to howl; weep”), from Proto-Germanic *grīnaną (“to whine; howl; whimper”). Cognate with Scots grain… The correct English form is groan, spelled G-R-O-A-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief.
  2. 2
    A low, guttural sound uttered in frustration, disapproval, or ecstasy.
  3. 3
    A low creaking sound from applied pressure or weight.

Etymology

From Middle English gronen, granen, from Old English grānian (“to groan; lament; murmur”), from Proto-West Germanic *grainōn, from Proto-Germanic *grainōną (“to howl; weep”), from Proto-Germanic *grīnaną (“to whine; howl; whimper”). Cognate with Scots grain (“to cry, scream”), Dutch grijnen, grienen (“to cry; sob; blubber”), German Low German grienen (“to whimper; mewl”), German greinen (“to whine; whimper”), Swedish grina (“to howl; weep; laugh”). The noun is from Middle English gron, grone, from the verb.

This word in other languages

gemido(Español)râle(Français)Stöhnen(Deutsch)gemido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggroan
  • goran
  • graon
  • groann
  • grona
  • grroan
  • rgoan

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggroan1goran2graon2groann1grona2grroan1rgoan2
Edit distance from "groan"

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 "groan"?
"groan" is spelled G-R-O-A-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹəʊn/.
What does "groan" mean?
As a noun, "groan" means: A low, mournful sound uttered in pain or grief.
What words are commonly confused with "groan"?
"groan" is commonly confused with "grow", "guan", "grog". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "groan"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "groan" is /ɡɹəʊn/. 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 "groan"?
From Middle English gronen, granen, from Old English grānian (“to groan; lament; murmur”), from Proto-West Germanic *grainōn, from Proto-Germanic *grainōną (“to howl; weep”), from Proto-Germanic *grīnaną (“to whine; howl; whimper”). Cognate with S... 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 "groan", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

gunna#24,773hives#24,782hoist#24,784Duran#24,734

Similar misspelling depth

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

gunned7 variantsGallup7 variantsHubble7 variantsjagged7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list