jump the gun
"jump-the-gun" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“jump the gun” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 12
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To begin a race too soon, before the starting gun goes off.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | jump the gun |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| Letters | 12 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “jump the gun” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for jump the gun is 12 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for jump the gun in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is jump the gun, spelled J-U-M-P- -T-H-E- -G-U-N.
Definition
- 1To begin a race too soon, before the starting gun goes off.
- 2To act or begin too soon or without due caution.
- 3To trade securities based on information that is not yet public; to trade on inside information.
This word in other languages
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “jump the gun”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is J-U-M-P- -T-H-E- -G-U-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.