grope

/ɡɹəʊp/

//ɡɹəʊp// verb

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

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

The verdict

“grope” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,680. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,680
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To feel with or use the hands; to handle.

Corpus desk

Index EN-grope · grope · English

grope · rank #42,680 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,680
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grist

Nearest frequency peer: grist (-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 “grope”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “grope” 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).

grope vs grow
60% similar
grope vs group
60% similar
grope vs grown
60% similar

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

Key facts for grope
PropertyValue
Headwordgrope
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɡɹəʊp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#42,680
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “grope”

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).gropelands 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 “grist” (#42,679), “grieved” (#42,678), “Gutenberg” (#42,683). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “grope” is #42,680. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around grope (IPA /ɡɹəʊp/), averb. Corpus frequency is #42,680 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for grope, with forms such as "ggrope", "gorpe", and "groep". 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, "grow", "group", "grown", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gropien, from Old English grāpian, related to grīpan (whence English gripe); compare also grip. The correct English form is grope, spelled G-R-O-P-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To feel with or use the hands; to handle.
  2. 2
    To search or attempt to find something in the dark, or, as a blind person, by feeling; to move about hesitatingly, as in darkness or obscurity; to feel one's way, as with the hands, when one can not see.
  3. 3
    To touch (another person) closely and (especially) sexually.
  4. 4
    To intentionally and inappropriately touch or rub against another person, in such a manner as to make the contact appear accidental, for the purpose of one's sexual gratification.
  5. 5
    To examine; to test; to sound.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a. 1812. Joseph Stevens Buckminster, sermon to grope about a little longer among the miseries and sensualities of a worldly life
  2. In the hollow shades of the roof could be seen pale dangling arms of ivy which had crept through the joints of the tiles and were groping in vain for some support, their leaves being dwarfed and sickly for want of sunlight; [...]

Etymology

From Middle English gropien, from Old English grāpian, related to grīpan (whence English gripe); compare also grip.

Synonyms

touchfeelfumbleglaumrootfeel aroundcaressfeel uptouch upfondle

This word in other languages

palpar(Español)tâter(Français)tasten(Deutsch)apalpar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggrope
  • gorpe
  • groep
  • groppe
  • grpoe
  • grrope
  • rgope

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggrope1gorpe2groep2groppe1grpoe2grrope1rgope2
Edit distance from "grope"

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 "grope"?
"grope" is spelled G-R-O-P-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹəʊp/.
What does "grope" mean?
As a verb, "grope" means: To feel with or use the hands; to handle.
What words are commonly confused with "grope"?
"grope" is commonly confused with "grow", "group", "grown". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grope"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grope" is /ɡɹəʊp/. 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 "grope"?
From Middle English gropien, from Old English grāpian, related to grīpan (whence English gripe); compare also grip. 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 "grope", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

grist#42,679inlay#42,712kirin#42,731easel#42,618

Similar misspelling depth

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

goatee7 variantsKhanna7 variantsdopey7 variantsLuxor7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list