gut

/ɡʌt/

//ɡʌt// noun

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

"gut" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gut” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #6,915) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#6,915
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The alimentary canal, especially the intestine.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gut · gut · English

gut · rank #6,915 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #6,915
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH heck

Nearest frequency peer: heck (+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.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “gut”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “gut” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

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).

gut vs guy
67% similar
gut vs gym
33% similar
gut vs GYN
0% similar

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

Key facts for gut
PropertyValue
Headwordgut
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡʌt/
Letters3
Frequency rank#6,915
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “gut”

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

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “heck” (#6,916), “goat” (#6,913), “helmet” (#6,917). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gut” is #6,915. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for gut is neighbouring look-alikes ("guy", "gym", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ɡʌt/. Frequency #6,915 among 2,313 “G” headwords. 7 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

No generated misspelling entries exist for gut in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "guy", "gym", "GYN", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gut, gutte, gotte, from Old English gutt (usually in plural guttas (“guts, entrails”)), from Proto-Germanic *gut-, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”). Related to English gote (“drain”), Old English ġēotan (“to pour”). More at g… The correct English form is gut, spelled G-U-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The alimentary canal, especially the intestine.
  2. 2
    The abdomen of a person, especially one that is enlarged.
  3. 3
    The intestines of an animal used to make strings of a tennis racket or violin, etc.
  4. 4
    A person's emotional, visceral self.
  5. 5
    A class that is not demanding or challenging.
  6. 6
    A narrow passage of water.
  7. 7
    The sac of silk taken from a silkworm when ready to spin its cocoon, for the purpose of drawing it out into a thread. When dry, it is exceedingly strong, and is used as the snood of a fishing line.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You've developed quite a beer gut since I last met you.
  2. I have a funny feeling in my gut.

Etymology

From Middle English gut, gutte, gotte, from Old English gutt (usually in plural guttas (“guts, entrails”)), from Proto-Germanic *gut-, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”). Related to English gote (“drain”), Old English ġēotan (“to pour”). More at gote, yote. The verb is from Middle English gutten, gotten (“to gut”).

Synonyms

alimentary canaldigestive systemgutsintestinetharminnardsabdomenbeer bellybeer gutbellypaunchpotbellystomachtumtummycatgut

This word in other languages

tripa(Español)panse(Français)Darm(Deutsch)pança(Português)

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 "gut"?
"gut" is spelled G-U-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡʌt/.
What does "gut" mean?
As a noun, "gut" means: The alimentary canal, especially the intestine.
What words are commonly confused with "gut"?
"gut" is commonly confused with "guy", "gym", "GYN". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gut"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gut" is /ɡʌt/. 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 "gut"?
From Middle English gut, gutte, gotte, from Old English gutt (usually in plural guttas (“guts, entrails”)), from Proto-Germanic *gut-, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰewd- (“to pour”). Related to English gote (“drain”), Old English ġēotan (“to pour”).... 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 "gut", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ego#6,898NBC#6,937NHL#6,940Abu#6,980

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list