ground zero
/ˌɡɹaʊnd ˈzɪəɹəʊ/
"ground-zero" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“ground zero” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 11
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 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.
Corpus desk
Index EN-ground-zero · ground zero · English
ground zero · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "G" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| 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) |
Long-tail rank of “ground zero” in English
Rare enough to double-check
ground zero is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɡɹaʊnd ˈzɪəɹəʊ/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
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.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how ground zero appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Some of the construction details (reinforcing rod splices, for example) [in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan] were often poor, and much of the concrete was definitely weak; thus some reinforced concrete buildings collapsed and suffered structural damage when within 2,000 feet of ground zero, and some internal wall paneling was demolished even up to 3,800 feet.
It's Christmas at ground zero / The button has been pressed / The radio / Just let us know / That this is not a test
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.