gunmetal

/ˈɡʌnmɛt(ə)l/

//ˈɡʌnmɛt(ə)l// noun

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

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

The verdict

“gunmetal” is uncommon English (frequency #69,092 among 2,313 “G” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#69,092
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A type of bronze used for making cannons.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gunmetal · gunmetal · English

gunmetal · rank #69,092 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #69,092
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH gynecologic

Nearest frequency peer: gynecologic (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “gunmetal”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “gunmetal” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for gunmetal
PropertyValue
Headwordgunmetal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡʌnmɛt(ə)l/
Letters8
Frequency rank#69,092
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “gunmetal” in English

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).gunmetalfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “gynecologic” (#69,094), “graver” (#69,088), “gossipy” (#69,085). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gunmetal” is #69,092. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gunmetal is uncommon English at frequency #69,092 among 2,313 “G” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɡʌnmɛt(ə)l/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for gunmetal, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From gun + metal. The correct English form is gunmetal, spelled G-U-N-M-E-T-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A type of bronze used for making cannons.
  2. 2
    An alloy of 88% copper, 10% tin and 2% zinc, originally used for making guns.
  3. 3
    A dark grey or bluish-grey colour; gunmetal grey.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The beſt Guns are not made of malleable Metal, and cannot be made of pure Copper or Braß; but it is neceſſary to put in courſer Metals to make it run cloſer and ſounder, as Lead and Pot-metal. […] About 20l. of Lead is uſually put into 100l. of Pot-metal; but about 6l. is ſufficient to put into 100l. of Gun-metal.
  2. Braſs, Copper, Latten, Bell-Metal, Pan-Metal, Gun-Metal, or Shruff-Metal, whether clean or mixed, carried beyond Sea, forfeits double the Value thereof; (Tin and Lead only excepted) the Informer half, […]

Etymology

From gun + metal.

Synonyms

red brassgunmetal graygunmetal grey

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 "gunmetal"?
"gunmetal" is spelled G-U-N-M-E-T-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡʌnmɛt(ə)l/.
What does "gunmetal" mean?
As a noun, "gunmetal" means: A type of bronze used for making cannons.
How do you pronounce "gunmetal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gunmetal" is /ˈɡʌnmɛt(ə)l/. 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 "gunmetal"?
From gun + metal. 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 "gunmetal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Gallegos#69,068houseman#69,116Frontera#69,062Follette#69,056

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list