# growl

> English word · Noun · IPA /ɡɹaʊl/ · frequency rank #24,179

## Definitions
1. A deep, rumbling, threatening sound made in the throat by an animal.
2. A similar sound made by a human.
3. The rumbling sound made by a human's hungry stomach.
4. An aggressive grumbling.
5. A low-pitched rumbling sound produced with a wind instrument.
6. Death growl

## Etymology
From Middle English groulen, grollen, gurlen (“of the bowels: to growl, rumble”), either possibly from Old French groler (variant of croler (“to be agitated, shake”)), grouler, grouller (“to growl, grumble”), from Frankish *grullen, *gruljan or from Old English gryllan, both from Proto-Germanic *gruljaną (“to make a sound; to growl, grumble, rumble”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰer- (“to make a noise; to mumble, murmur; to rattle; to grind; to rub, stroke”), probably ultimately imitative. The word is cognate with Middle Dutch grollen (“to make a noise; to croak, grumble, murmur; to be angry”) (modern Dutch grollen (“to grumble”)), German grollen (“to rumble; to be angry, bear ill will”), Old English grillan, griellan (“to provoke, offend; to gnash the teeth”). Compare grill.
The noun is derived from the verb.

## Easily confused with
- **grown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/growl-vs-grown)
- **grows** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/growl-vs-grows)
- **growth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/growl-vs-growth)
- **growls** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/growl-vs-growls)
- **growled** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/growl-vs-growled)
- **GOL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gol-vs-growl)
- **gow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gow-vs-growl)
- **gro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gro-vs-growl)
- **goal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/goal-vs-growl)
- **grow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grow-vs-growl)
- **grew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grew-vs-growl)
- **glow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/glow-vs-growl)
- **gown** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gown-vs-growl)
- **gaol** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gaol-vs-growl)
- **grog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grog-vs-growl)
- **group** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/group-vs-growl)
- **gross** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gross-vs-growl)
- **grove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grove-vs-growl)
- **grill** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grill-vs-growl)
- **groom** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/groom-vs-growl)

## Common misspellings (8)
`ggrowl`, `gorwl`, `grolw`, `growll`, `growwl`, `grrowl`, `grwol`, `rgowl`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/growl