gutter

/ˈɡʌt.ə/

//ˈɡʌt.ə// noun

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

"gutter" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“gutter” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #17,624. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#17,624
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.

Corpus desk

Index EN-gutter · gutter · English

gutter · rank #17,624 · 7 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #17,624
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH guerrilla

Nearest frequency peer: guerrilla (-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 “gutter”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “gutter” 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).

gutter vs guitar
67% similar
gutter vs gotten
67% similar
gutter vs gather
67% similar

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

Key facts for gutter
PropertyValue
Headwordgutter
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɡʌt.ə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,624
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “gutter”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “guerrilla” (#17,623), “hearty” (#17,625), “GST” (#17,622). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “gutter” is #17,624. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around gutter (IPA /ˈɡʌt.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #17,624 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for gutter, with forms such as "ggutter", "gtuter", and "guter". 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. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "guitar", "gotten", "gather", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”). The correct English form is gutter, spelled G-U-T-T-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.
  2. 2
    A ditch along the side of a road.
  3. 3
    A duct or channel beneath the eaves of a building to carry rain water; eavestrough.
  4. 4
    A groove down the sides of a bowling lane.
  5. 5
    A large groove (commonly behind animals) in a barn used for the collection and removal of animal excrement.
  6. 6
    Any narrow channel or groove, such as one formed by erosion in the vent of a gun from repeated firing.
  7. 7
    A space between printed columns of text.
  8. 8
    One of a number of pieces of wood or metal, grooved in the centre, used to separate the pages of type in a form.
  9. 9
    An unprinted space between rows of stamps.
  10. 10
    A drainage channel.
  11. 11
    The notional locus of things, acts, or events that are distasteful, ill-bred, or morally questionable.
  12. 12
    A low, vulgar state.
  13. 13
    A space between comic strip panels.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They a not so clean as they might be, since the water [is] carried off by only one gutter, in the centre of t[he] street
  2. In nearly all of the towns the gutters are filled with vegetation, or have been neglected for so long a time that the roadway becomes its own drainage bed.

Etymology

From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”).

This word in other languages

desagüe(Español)caniveau(Français)Gosse(Deutsch)valeta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggutter
  • gtuter
  • guter
  • gutetr
  • gutterr
  • guttre
  • ugtter

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggutter1gtuter2guter1gutetr2gutterr1guttre2ugtter2
Edit distance from "gutter"

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 "gutter"?
"gutter" is spelled G-U-T-T-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡʌt.ə/.
What does "gutter" mean?
As a noun, "gutter" means: A prepared channel in a surface, especially at the side of a road adjacent to a curb, intended for the drainage of water.
What words are commonly confused with "gutter"?
"gutter" is commonly confused with "guitar", "gotten", "gather". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gutter"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gutter" is /ˈɡʌt.ə/. 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 "gutter"?
From Middle English gutter, guttur, goter, from Anglo-Norman guttere, from Old French goutiere (French gouttière), ultimately from Latin gutta (“drop”). 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 "gutter", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

hearty#17,625gotcha#17,621Gemini#17,618Hodges#17,630

Similar misspelling depth

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

jumbo7 variantsOlsen7 variantspenned7 variantsbarrow7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list