grove

/ɡɹəʊv/

//ɡɹəʊv// noun

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

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

The verdict

“grove” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,797 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,797
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A small forest.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

grove vs grow
60% similar
grove vs grown
60% similar
grove vs grows
60% similar

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

Key facts for grove
PropertyValue
Headwordgrove
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɹəʊv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,797
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “grove” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). grove lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for grove is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɹəʊv/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,797 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for grove, with forms such as "ggrove", "gorve", and "groev". 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", "grown", "grows", 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 grove, grave, from Old English grāf, grāfa (“grove; copse”), from Proto-West Germanic *graib, *graibō (“branch, group of branches, thicket”), from Proto-Germanic *graibaz, *graibô (“branch, fork”). Related to Old English grǣf, grǣfe (“br… The correct English form is grove, spelled G-R-O-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A small forest.
  2. 2
    A small forest with minimal undergrowth.
  3. 3
    An orchard of fruit trees.
  4. 4
    A place of worship.
  5. 5
    A lodge of the Ancient Order of Druids.

Etymology

From Middle English grove, grave, from Old English grāf, grāfa (“grove; copse”), from Proto-West Germanic *graib, *graibō (“branch, group of branches, thicket”), from Proto-Germanic *graibaz, *graibô (“branch, fork”). Related to Old English grǣf, grǣfe (“brushwood; thicket; copse”), Old English grǣfa (“thicket”), dialectal Norwegian greive (“ram with splayed horns”), dialectal Norwegian greivlar (“ramifications of an antler”), dialectal Norwegian grivla (“to branch, branch out”), Old Norse grein (“twig, branch, limb”). More at greave.

This word in other languages

arboleda(Español)bosquet(Français)Hain(Deutsch)bosque(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggrove,gorve,groev,grovve,grrove,grvoe,rgove

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggrove1gorve2groev2grovve1grrove1grvoe2rgove2
Edit distance from "grove"

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 "grove"?
"grove" is spelled G-R-O-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹəʊv/.
What does "grove" mean?
As a noun, "grove" means: A small forest.
What words are commonly confused with "grove"?
"grove" is commonly confused with "grow", "grown", "grows". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grove"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grove" is /ɡɹəʊv/. 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 "grove"?
From Middle English grove, grave, from Old English grāf, grāfa (“grove; copse”), from Proto-West Germanic *graib, *graibō (“branch, group of branches, thicket”), from Proto-Germanic *graibaz, *graibô (“branch, fork”). Related to Old English grǣf, ... 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.

Using “grove”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-R-O-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡɹəʊv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “grow” - see the side-by-side comparison. grove vs grow
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list