gulag

/ˈɡuːlɑɡ/

//ˈɡuːlɑɡ// noun

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

"gulag" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gulag” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,906. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,906
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Also GULAG: the system of all Soviet labour camps and prisons in use, especially during the Stalinist period (1930s–1950s).

Corpus desk

Index EN-gulag · gulag · English

gulag · rank #34,906 · 7 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,906
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gul

Nearest frequency peer: gul (-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 “gulag”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gulag” 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).

gulag vs gulf
60% similar
gulag vs gull
60% similar
gulag vs gulp
60% similar

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

Key facts for gulag
PropertyValue
Headwordgulag
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡuːlɑɡ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#34,906
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gulag”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “gul” (#34,905), “Gustave” (#34,907), “greys” (#34,904). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gulag” is #34,906. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around gulag (IPA /ˈɡuːlɑɡ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,906 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for gulag, with forms such as "ggulag", "gluag", and "gualg". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "gulf", "gull", "gulp", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Russian ГУЛА́Г (GULÁG), the acronym of Гла́вное управле́ние исправи́тельно-трудовы́х лагере́й (Glávnoje upravlénije ispravítelʹno-trudovýx lageréj, “Chief Administration of Corrective-Labor Camps”), the government agency in charge of the Sovie… The correct English form is gulag, spelled G-U-L-A-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Also GULAG: the system of all Soviet labour camps and prisons in use, especially during the Stalinist period (1930s–1950s).
  2. 2
    A prison camp, especially one used to hold political prisoners.
  3. 3
    A place where, or political system in which, people with dissident views are routinely oppressed.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. One important difference between the GULAG system and the Nazi concentration camps was that a person sentenced to five years of hard labor in a Soviet labor camp could expect, assuming he or she survived, to be released at the end of the sentence.
  2. Nevertheless, the Trump administration has continued to insist that Abrego Garcia is a dangerous gang member in order to justify sending him to an overseas Gulag that has been accused of torturing inmates.

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian ГУЛА́Г (GULÁG), the acronym of Гла́вное управле́ние исправи́тельно-трудовы́х лагере́й (Glávnoje upravlénije ispravítelʹno-trudovýx lageréj, “Chief Administration of Corrective-Labor Camps”), the government agency in charge of the Soviet Union’s network of forced labour camps, which was established in 1918 and formally abolished in 1960: see GULAG.

This word in other languages

gulag(Español)goulag(Français)Gulag(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggulag
  • gluag
  • gualg
  • gulagg
  • gulga
  • gullag
  • uglag

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gulag - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ggulag1gluag2gualg2gulagg1gulga2gullag1uglag2
Edit distance from "gulag"

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 "gulag"?
"gulag" is spelled G-U-L-A-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡuːlɑɡ/.
What does "gulag" mean?
As a noun, "gulag" means: Also GULAG: the system of all Soviet labour camps and prisons in use, especially during the Stalinist period (1930s–1950s).
What words are commonly confused with "gulag"?
"gulag" is commonly confused with "gulf", "gull", "gulp". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gulag"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gulag" is /ˈɡuːlɑɡ/. 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 "gulag"?
Borrowed from Russian ГУЛА́Г (GULÁG), the acronym of Гла́вное управле́ние исправи́тельно-трудовы́х лагере́й (Glávnoje upravlénije ispravítelʹno-trudovýx lageréj, “Chief Administration of Corrective-Labor Camps”), the government agency in charge of... 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 "gulag", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

greys#34,904horst#34,922Fatah#34,884inset#34,939

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

domed7 variantsLewes7 variantslimes7 variantsculled7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list