groundswell
"groundswell" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“groundswell” is uncommon English (frequency #67,489 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #67,489
- frequency rank, English
- 2,313
- “G” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A broad undulation of the open ocean, often as the result of a distant disturbance.
Corpus desk
Index EN-groundswell · groundswell · English
groundswell · rank #67,489 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #67,489
- LEN-MEGA 11 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 2,313
- PHOTO-FINISH groundnut
Nearest frequency peer: groundnut (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “groundswell”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- goy
goy
32,517 corpus weight
- gree
gree
32,516 corpus weight
- groundnut
groundnut
32,513 corpus weight
- groundswell
groundswell
32,512 corpus weight
- grump
grump
32,511 corpus weight
- gyros
gyros
32,510 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “groundswell” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | groundswell |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #67,489 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “groundswell” in English
Rare enough to double-check
groundswell is uncommon English at frequency #67,489 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
groundswell doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
Etymologically, the entry records: From ground + swell. The correct English form is groundswell, spelled G-R-O-U-N-D-S-W-E-L-L.
Definition
- 1A broad undulation of the open ocean, often as the result of a distant disturbance.
- 2A broadly-based shifting of public opinion.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how groundswell appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
An astonishing groundswell of support for the new Democratic frontrunner, Barack Obama, is threatening to sweep Hillary Clinton away in New Hampshire, which holds the first primary election of the 2008 presidential contest tomorrow.
The 1987 book British Piers was written at a time when Britain's seaside resorts were perhaps at their lowest ebb, with a groundswell of support for rejuvenation and conservation just beginning.
Etymology
From ground + swell.
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); 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 "groundswell"?
What does "groundswell" mean?
What is the origin of the word "groundswell"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "groundswell", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).