growth

Name: growth, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ɡɹoʊθ/

//ɡɹoʊθ// noun

By PlainSpell Editorial Team · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“growth” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #992 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#992
frequency rank, English: 6
letters: 10
tracked misspellings: 11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An increase in size, number, value, or strength.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

growth vs growths

86% similar

growth vs grow

67% similar

growth vs goth

67% similar

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

Key facts for growth
Property	Value
Headword	growth
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ɡɹoʊθ/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#992
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	11
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “growth” 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). growth lands here:

#992

#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 growth is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɹoʊθ/. Corpus data places it at rank #992 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for growth, with forms such as "ggrowth", "gorwth", and "grotwh". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "growths", "grow", "goth", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From grow + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Compare Old Frisian grēd ("meadow, pasture"; > North Frisian greyde (“growth, pasture”)), Middle High German gruote, gruot (“greens, fresh growth, shoot”), Old Norse gróðr ("growth, crop"; > Faroese grøði, Danish g… The correct English form is growth, spelled G-R-O-W-T-H.

Definition

1
An increase in size, number, value, or strength.
2
Ellipsis of economic growth.
3
An increase in psychological strength or resilience; an increased ability to overcome adversity.
4
The act of growing, getting bigger or higher.
5
Something that grows or has grown.
6
An abnormal mass such as a tumor.

Etymology

From grow + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Compare Old Frisian grēd ("meadow, pasture"; > North Frisian greyde (“growth, pasture”)), Middle High German gruote, gruot (“greens, fresh growth, shoot”), Old Norse gróðr ("growth, crop"; > Faroese grøði, Danish grøde (“fruits”), Swedish gröda (“crop, harvest”)). More at grow.

Synonyms

enlargement expansion increase increment development maturation vegetation outgrowth cancer mass

Antonyms

contraction decrease decrement reduction nondevelopment

This word in other languages

crecimiento(Español)croissance(Français)Wachstum(Deutsch)acréscimo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggrowth,gorwth,grotwh,growht,growthh,growtth,growwth,grrowth,grwoth,rgowth

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of growth - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "growth"

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 "growth"?

"growth" is spelled G-R-O-W-T-H. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹoʊθ/.

What does "growth" mean?

As a noun, "growth" means: An increase in size, number, value, or strength.

What words are commonly confused with "growth"?

"growth" is commonly confused with "growths", "grow", "goth". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "growth"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "growth" is /ɡɹoʊθ/. 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 "growth"?

From grow + -th (abstract nominal suffix). Compare Old Frisian grēd ("meadow, pasture"; > North Frisian greyde (“growth, pasture”)), Middle High German gruote, gruot (“greens, fresh growth, shoot”), Old Norse gróðr ("growth, crop"; > Faroese grøði... 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 “growth”

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

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