grubby

/ˈɡɹʌbi/

//ˈɡɹʌbi// adj

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

"grubby" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“grubby” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #37,951. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#37,951
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Dirty, unwashed, unclean.

Corpus desk

Index EN-grubby · grubby · English

grubby · rank #37,951 · 8 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #37,951
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH guan

Nearest frequency peer: guan (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “grubby”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “grubby” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

grubby vs grumpy
67% similar
grubby vs grundy
67% similar
grubby vs grub
67% similar

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

Key facts for grubby
PropertyValue
Headwordgrubby
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡɹʌbi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#37,951
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “grubby”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).grubbylands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “guan” (#37,952), “gulch” (#37,953), “gynecologist” (#37,954). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “grubby” is #37,951. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around grubby (IPA /ˈɡɹʌbi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #37,951 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for grubby, with forms such as "ggrubby", "grbuby", and "grrubby". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "grumpy", "grundy", "grub", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From grub + -y. The correct English form is grubby, spelled G-R-U-B-B-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Dirty, unwashed, unclean.
  2. 2
    Disreputable, sordid.
  3. 3
    Having grubs in it.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He's a grubby little boy, always playing around by the stream.
  2. I have in mind, in particular, the claim that has echoed through the liberal side of coronavirus-era debates — that the key to sound leadership in a pandemic is just to follow the science, to trust science and scientists, to do what experts suggest instead of letting mere grubby politics determine your response.

Etymology

From grub + -y.

This word in other languages

sucio(Español)crasseux(Français)schmutzig(Deutsch)encardido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggrubby
  • grbuby
  • grrubby
  • grubbyy
  • gruby
  • grubyb
  • gurbby
  • rgubby

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggrubby1grbuby2grrubby1grubbyy1gruby1grubyb2gurbby2rgubby2
Edit distance from "grubby"

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 "grubby"?
"grubby" is spelled G-R-U-B-B-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹʌbi/.
What does "grubby" mean?
As an adjective, "grubby" means: Dirty, unwashed, unclean.
What words are commonly confused with "grubby"?
"grubby" is commonly confused with "grumpy", "grundy", "grub". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grubby"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grubby" is /ˈɡɹʌbi/. 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 "grubby"?
From grub + -y. 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 "grubby", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

glassy#37,942hatter#37,963gelato#37,938geisha#37,937

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

gulch8 variantsFrans8 variantsfoetus8 variantshowls8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list