ground zero
/ˌɡɹaʊnd ˈzɪəɹəʊ/
"ground-zero" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ground zero” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a noun - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Originally, the point on the land or water surface below which a nuclear bomb detonates in the air; now also the point on such a surface at or above the detonation.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | ground zero |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˌɡɹaʊnd ˈzɪəɹəʊ/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “ground zero” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for ground zero is 11 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˌɡɹaʊnd ˈzɪəɹəʊ/. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for ground zero in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: From ground + zero, first attested in a June 1946 a report by the United States Strategic Bombing Survey on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on August 6 and 9, 1945, during World War II. “Zero” was used as the code name for the location … The correct English form is ground zero, spelled G-R-O-U-N-D- -Z-E-R-O.
Definition
- 1Originally, the point on the land or water surface below which a nuclear bomb detonates in the air; now also the point on such a surface at or above the detonation.
- 2The location of any disaster or violent assault.
- 3The point at which something begins.
Etymology
From ground + zero, first attested in a June 1946 a report by the United States Strategic Bombing Survey on the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, on August 6 and 9, 1945, during World War II. “Zero” was used as the code name for the location of the Trinity atomic bomb test – the first detonation of a nuclear weapon – in New Mexico, USA, on July 16, 1945.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “ground zero”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is G-R-O-U-N-D- -Z-E-R-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɡɹaʊnd ˈzɪəɹəʊ/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.