growler

/ˈɡɹaʊlə/

//ˈɡɹaʊlə// noun

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

"growler" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“growler” is uncommon English (frequency #54,815 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#54,815
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A person, creature or thing that growls.

Corpus desk

Index EN-growler · growler · English

growler · rank #54,815 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #54,815
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH groupe

Nearest frequency peer: groupe (-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 “growler”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “growler” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for growler
PropertyValue
Headwordgrowler
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡɹaʊlə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#54,815
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “growler” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “groupe” (#54,814), “Grumbles” (#54,816), “Guwahati” (#54,817). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “growler” is #54,815. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

growler is uncommon English at frequency #54,815 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡɹaʊlə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 8 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for growler, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From growl + -er. Sense "jug" is 19th century American slang, of uncertain origin. The correct English form is growler, spelled G-R-O-W-L-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person, creature or thing that growls.
  2. 2
    A horse-drawn cab with four wheels.
  3. 3
    A small iceberg or ice floe which is barely visible over the surface of the water.
  4. 4
    A kind of jug, often with a handle, used to carry beer and preserve carbonation.
  5. 5
    A pork pie.
  6. 6
    The vulva.
  7. 7
    A fish of the perch family, abundant in North American rivers, so named from the sound it emits.
  8. 8
    A device for checking electrical equipment for short circuits etc.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how growler appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He had evidently studied the driver of a London growler, and produced a good sound readable type of man.
  2. The ordinary London growler is considerably less wide than a gentleman's brougham.

Etymology

From growl + -er. Sense "jug" is 19th century American slang, of uncertain origin.

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 "growler"?
"growler" is spelled G-R-O-W-L-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹaʊlə/.
What does "growler" mean?
As a noun, "growler" means: A person, creature or thing that growls.
How do you pronounce "growler"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "growler" is /ˈɡɹaʊlə/. 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 "growler"?
From growl + -er. Sense "jug" is 19th century American slang, of uncertain origin. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "growler", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

grifter#54,811Griffey#54,810girlish#54,805Ganguly#54,793

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list