grudge
/ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/noun, verb
grudge is spelled G-R-U-D-G-E: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, grudge means “Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of grudge is grudges.
How many letters and syllables are in grudge?
| Letters | 6: G-R-U-D-G-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 18,811th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is grudge?
Grudge appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 18,811th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce grudge?
- /ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/
Grudge has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-grudge.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with grudge?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as grudge.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: rugged.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of grudge
- grudges plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- grudging participle, present
- grudged participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does grudge mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment.
to have, hold, owe or bear a grudge against someone
verb
- 1
To be unwilling to give or allow (someone something).
Wee shall finde our whole life so necessarily ioyned with sorrow, that we ought rather delight (and take pleasure) in Gods louing chastisements, and admonitions, then any way murmure and grudge at our crosses, or tribulations :
- 2
obsoleteTo grumble, complain; to be dissatisfied.
- 3
obsoleteTo hold or harbour with malicious disposition or purpose; to cherish enviously.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Grudge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rancune |
| German | Groll, Neid , missgönnen |
| Portuguese | rancor, ressentimento |
| Spanish | rencor, manía, ojeriza , diñar de mala gana |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does grudge come from?
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”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).