gullible

/ˈɡʌlɪbl̩/

//ˈɡʌlɪbl̩// adj

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

"gullible" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gullible” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #25,397. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#25,397
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
11
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Easily deceived or duped; naive, easily cheated or fooled.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gullible · gullible · English

gullible · rank #25,397 · 11 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #25,397
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH grille

Nearest frequency peer: grille (-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 “gullible”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gullible” 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
Key facts for gullible
PropertyValue
Headwordgullible
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡʌlɪbl̩/
Letters8
Frequency rank#25,397
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gullible”

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).gulliblelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “grille” (#25,396), “gust” (#25,398), “Glock” (#25,395). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gullible” is #25,397. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around gullible (IPA /ˈɡʌlɪbl̩/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #25,397 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Easily deceived or duped; naive, easily cheated or fooled.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for gullible, with forms such as "ggullible", "glulible", and "gulible". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Origin uncertain. Either from gull (“to dupe, trick, fool”) + -ible; or alternatively from Middle English gole, goll, gol (“an unfledged bird, silly fellow”), perhaps from Old Norse gulr (“yellow, pale”), from the hue of its down. The correct English form is gullible, spelled G-U-L-L-I-B-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Easily deceived or duped; naive, easily cheated or fooled.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Andrew is so gullible, the way he still believes in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and the Sandman at the age of fourteen.

Etymology

Origin uncertain. Either from gull (“to dupe, trick, fool”) + -ible; or alternatively from Middle English gole, goll, gol (“an unfledged bird, silly fellow”), perhaps from Old Norse gulr (“yellow, pale”), from the hue of its down.

Synonyms

gulliblecredulousgreennaivefleeceablenaifborn yesterdayfresh off the boatwide-eyed

This word in other languages

crédulo(Español)crédule(Français)einfältig(Deutsch)crédulo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggullible
  • glulible
  • gulible
  • gulilble
  • gullable
  • gullbile
  • gullibble
  • gullibel
  • gulliblle
  • gullilbe
  • ugllible

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggullible1glulible2gulible1gulilble2gullable1gullbile2gullibble1gullibel2
Edit distance from "gullible"

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 "gullible"?
"gullible" is spelled G-U-L-L-I-B-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡʌlɪbl̩/.
What does "gullible" mean?
As an adjective, "gullible" means: Easily deceived or duped; naive, easily cheated or fooled.
What are common misspellings of "gullible"?
Common misspellings include "ggullible", "glulible", "gulible", "gulilble", "gullable". The correct spelling is "gullible".
How do you pronounce "gullible"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gullible" is /ˈɡʌlɪbl̩/. 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 "gullible"?
Origin uncertain. Either from gull (“to dupe, trick, fool”) + -ible; or alternatively from Middle English gole, goll, gol (“an unfledged bird, silly fellow”), perhaps from Old Norse gulr (“yellow, pale”), from the hue of its down. 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 "gullible", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

gleaming#25,394Giuliani#25,393hoarding#25,411humanoid#25,416

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

flicker11 variantshinting11 variantsEstonian11 variantsidealism11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list