grow

/ɡɹəʊ/

//ɡɹəʊ// verb

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

"grow" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“grow” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,344 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#1,344
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To become larger, to increase in magnitude.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

grow vs Guo
25% similar
grow vs GRU
0% similar
grow vs grr
50% similar

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

Key facts for grow
PropertyValue
Headwordgrow
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɡɹəʊ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#1,344
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “grow” 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). grow 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 grow is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɹəʊ/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,344 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for grow, with forms such as "ggrow", "gorw", and "groww". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Guo", "GRU", "grr", 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 growen, from Old English grōwan (“to grow, increase, flourish, germinate”), from Proto-West Germanic *grōan, from Proto-Germanic *grōaną (“to grow, grow green”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow, become green”). Cognates Cogna… The correct English form is grow, spelled G-R-O-W.

Definition

  1. 1
    To become larger, to increase in magnitude.
  2. 2
    To undergo growth; to be present (somewhere)
  3. 3
    To appear or sprout.
  4. 4
    To develop, to mature.
  5. 5
    To cause or allow something to become bigger, especially to cultivate plants.
  6. 6
    To assume a condition or quality over time.
  7. 7
    To become attached or fixed; to adhere.

Etymology

From Middle English growen, from Old English grōwan (“to grow, increase, flourish, germinate”), from Proto-West Germanic *grōan, from Proto-Germanic *grōaną (“to grow, grow green”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow, become green”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch groeien (“to grow”), German Low German grojen (“to green; thrive; take hold; flourish”), Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish gro (“to grow”), Faroese grógva (“to grow”), Icelandic gróa (“to grow”); also Latin grāmen (“grass, turf; herb, plant”), herba (“grass, herbage; weeds; plant”), Ukrainian гря́ний (hrjányj, “green”). Related to growth, grass, green.

Antonyms

shrink

This word in other languages

crecer(Español)grandir(Français)wachsen(Deutsch)crescer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggrow,gorw,groww,grrow,grwo,rgow

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of grow - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ggrow1gorw2groww1grrow1grwo2rgow2
Edit distance from "grow"

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 "grow"?
"grow" is spelled G-R-O-W. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹəʊ/.
What does "grow" mean?
As a verb, "grow" means: To become larger, to increase in magnitude.
What words are commonly confused with "grow"?
"grow" is commonly confused with "Guo", "GRU", "grr". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grow"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grow" is /ɡɹəʊ/. 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 "grow"?
From Middle English growen, from Old English grōwan (“to grow, increase, flourish, germinate”), from Proto-West Germanic *grōan, from Proto-Germanic *grōaną (“to grow, grow green”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (“to grow, become green”). Cogn... 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 “grow”

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

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