grudge

/ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/

//ɡɹʌd͡ʒ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“grudge” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,842. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,842
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment.

Corpus desk

Index EN-grudge · grudge · English

grudge · rank #18,842 · 9 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,842
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grossly

Nearest frequency peer: grossly (-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 “grudge”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “grudge” 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).

grudge vs grunge
83% similar
grudge vs grudges
86% similar
grudge vs grade
67% similar

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

Key facts for grudge
PropertyValue
Headwordgrudge
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,842
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “grudge”

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).grudgelands 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 “grossly” (#18,841), “Gucci” (#18,843), “Grimes” (#18,840). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “grudge” is #18,842. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around grudge (IPA /ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,842 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for grudge, with forms such as "ggrudge", "grduge", and "grrudge". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "grunge", "grudges", "grade", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: A variant of grutch (mid 15th-century, younger than begrudge), from Middle English grucchen (“to murmur, complain, feel envy, begrudge”), from Old French grouchier, groucier (“to murmur, grumble”), of Germanic origin, probably ultimately imitative. Akin to … The correct English form is grudge, spelled G-R-U-D-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to have, hold, owe or bear a grudge against someone
  2. Bag. And if I do not my good Lord damme me for it I haue an old grudge at him cole black curre,

Etymology

A variant of grutch (mid 15th-century, younger than begrudge), from Middle English grucchen (“to murmur, complain, feel envy, begrudge”), from Old French grouchier, groucier (“to murmur, grumble”), of Germanic origin, probably ultimately imitative. Akin to Middle High German grogezen (“to howl, wail”), German grocken (“to croak”). Compare also Old Norse krytja (“to murmur”), Old High German grunzen (“to grunt”).

Synonyms

rancorspiteresentment

This word in other languages

rencor(Español)rancune(Français)Groll(Deutsch)rancor(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggrudge
  • grduge
  • grrudge
  • gruddge
  • grudeg
  • grudgge
  • grugde
  • gurdge
  • rgudge

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of grudge - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ggrudge1grduge2grrudge1gruddge1grudeg2grudgge1grugde2gurdge2
Edit distance from "grudge"

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 "grudge"?
"grudge" is spelled G-R-U-D-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/.
What does "grudge" mean?
As a noun, "grudge" means: Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment.
What words are commonly confused with "grudge"?
"grudge" is commonly confused with "grunge", "grudges", "grade". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grudge"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grudge" is /ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/. 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 "grudge"?
A variant of grutch (mid 15th-century, younger than begrudge), from Middle English grucchen (“to murmur, complain, feel envy, begrudge”), from Old French grouchier, groucier (“to murmur, grumble”), of Germanic origin, probably ultimately imitative... 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 "grudge", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Grimes#18,840grieve#18,839glover#18,837Gideon#18,835

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

hectic9 variantsflowed9 variantsfatally9 variantsjackass9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list