groove

/ɡɹuːv/

//ɡɹuːv// noun

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

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

The verdict

“groove” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,552. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,552
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such a slot cut into a hard material to provide a location for an engineering component, a tire groove, or a geological channel or depression.

Corpus desk

Index EN-groove · groove · English

groove · rank #10,552 · 7 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #10,552
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH Gavin

Nearest frequency peer: Gavin (-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 “groove”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “groove” 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).

groove vs grove
83% similar
groove vs grope
67% similar
groove vs groves
67% similar

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

Key facts for groove
PropertyValue
Headwordgroove
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɹuːv/
Letters6
Frequency rank#10,552
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “groove”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).groovelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Gavin” (#10,551), “HBO” (#10,553), “frightened” (#10,550). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “groove” is #10,552. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around groove (IPA /ɡɹuːv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #10,552 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for groove, with forms such as "ggroove", "gorove", and "grooev". 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 18 confusable-pair relationships, "grove", "grope", "groves", 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 grov, grove, groof, grofe (“cave; pit; mining shaft”), probably from Old Norse gróf (“pit”) or from Middle Dutch groeve (“furrow, ditch”), both from Proto-West Germanic *grōbu, from Proto-Germanic *grōbō (“groove, furrow”), from Proto-In… The correct English form is groove, spelled G-R-O-O-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such a slot cut into a hard material to provide a location for an engineering component, a tire groove, or a geological channel or depression.
  2. 2
    A fixed routine.
  3. 3
    The middle of the strike zone in baseball where a pitch is most easily hit.
  4. 4
    A pronounced, enjoyable rhythm.
  5. 5
    A good feeling (often as in the groove).
  6. 6
    A shaft or excavation.
  7. 7
    The optimal route around the track, or any of several such routes.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Through these distresses, the Odd Girl was cheerful and exemplary. But within four hours after dark we had got into a supernatural groove, and the Odd Girl had seen “Eyes,” and was in hysterics.
  2. The gregarious trifling of life in the social groove.

Etymology

From Middle English grov, grove, groof, grofe (“cave; pit; mining shaft”), probably from Old Norse gróf (“pit”) or from Middle Dutch groeve (“furrow, ditch”), both from Proto-West Germanic *grōbu, from Proto-Germanic *grōbō (“groove, furrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰrebʰ- (“to dig, scrape, bury”). Cognate with Cimbrian gruuba (“gorge, ravine”), Dutch groef, groeve (“groove; pit, grave”), German Grube (“ditch, pit”), Luxembourgish Grouf (“pit, mine”), Mòcheno gruab (“mine”), Icelandic gróf (“pit, hollow”), Gothic 𐌲𐍂𐍉𐌱𐌰 (grōba, “foxhole”), Serbo-Croatian grèbati (“scratch, dig”). Related to Old English grafan (“to dig”). More at grave.

This word in other languages

ranura(Español)rainure(Français)Rille(Deutsch)ranhura(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggroove
  • gorove
  • grooev
  • groovve
  • grovoe
  • grroove
  • rgoove

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggroove1gorove2grooev2groovve1grovoe2grroove1rgoove2
Edit distance from "groove"

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 "groove"?
"groove" is spelled G-R-O-O-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹuːv/.
What does "groove" mean?
As a noun, "groove" means: A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such a slot cut into a hard material to provide a location for an engineering component, a tire groove, or a geological channel or depression.
What words are commonly confused with "groove"?
"groove" is commonly confused with "grove", "grope", "groves". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "groove"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "groove" is /ɡɹuːv/. 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 "groove"?
From Middle English grov, grove, groof, grofe (“cave; pit; mining shaft”), probably from Old Norse gróf (“pit”) or from Middle Dutch groeve (“furrow, ditch”), both from Proto-West Germanic *grōbu, from Proto-Germanic *grōbō (“groove, furrow”), fro... 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 "groove", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

folder#10,548favors#10,546falcon#10,545erotic#10,540

Similar misspelling depth

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

Gavin7 variantshedge7 variantsjoker7 variantsJonas7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list