gunpowder

Name: gunpowder, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/

//ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“gunpowder” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #20,656. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#20,656
frequency rank, English: 2,313
“G” headwords: 14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gunpowder · gunpowder · English

gunpowder · rank #20,656 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

FREQ-MID #20,656
LEN-LONG 9 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-0 No pairs
VAR-HIGH 14 variants
BOOK-MID 2,313
PHOTO-FINISH Gunn

Nearest frequency peer: Gunn (-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.

grounding

79,348
Guangzhou

79,347
Gunn

79,346
gunpowder

79,345
Guthrie

79,344
Guyana

79,343

What this shows “gunpowder” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Key facts for gunpowder
Property	Value
Headword	gunpowder
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#20,656
Misspellings tracked	14
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gunpowder”

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

#20,656

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Gunn” (#20,655), “Guthrie” (#20,657), “Guangzhou” (#20,654). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gunpowder” is #20,656. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around gunpowder (IPA /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #20,656 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for gunpowder, with forms such as "ggunpowder", "gnupowder", and "gunnpowder". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From gun + powder. The correct English form is gunpowder, spelled G-U-N-P-O-W-D-E-R.

Definition

1
An explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks.
2
Ellipsis of gunpowder tea.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

They have been a bold, heroic, and purely self dependent nation, never having either courted,—or been subdued by—other Tribes or Europeans. But what early mind—a power—could face gunpowder and the ﬁrelocks? Hence their annihilation!

Etymology

From gun + powder.

This word in other languages

pólvora(Español)poudre à canon(Français)Schießpulver(Deutsch)pólvora(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

ggunpowder
gnupowder
gunnpowder
gunopwder
gunpodwer
gunpowdder
gunpowderr
gunpowdre
gunpowedr
gunpowwder
gunppowder
gunpwoder
gupnowder
ugnpowder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gunpowder - 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.

Edit distance from "gunpowder"

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 "gunpowder"?

"gunpowder" is spelled G-U-N-P-O-W-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/.

What does "gunpowder" mean?

As a noun, "gunpowder" means: An explosive mixture of saltpetre (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur; formerly used in gunnery but now mostly used in fireworks.

What are common misspellings of "gunpowder"?

Common misspellings include "ggunpowder", "gnupowder", "gunnpowder", "gunopwder", "gunpodwer". The correct spelling is "gunpowder".

How do you pronounce "gunpowder"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gunpowder" is /ˈɡʌnˌpaʊdə/. 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 "gunpowder"?

From gun + powder. 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 "gunpowder", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Guangzhou#20,654 grounding#20,653 Fukushima#20,644 Icelandic#20,670

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

forcefully14 variants inversion14 variants detriment14 variants mercenary14 variants