ghastly

\ˈɡæst.li\

/\ˈɡæst.li\/ adj

The verdict

“ghastly” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Horrible, hideux.

Corpus desk

Index FR-ghastly · ghastly · French

ghastly · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "G" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for ghastly
PropertyValue
Headwordghastly
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ˈɡæst.li\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Où “ghastly” se place dans la fréquence du français

ghastlyn'entre pas dans le top 100.000 du français: zone de termes techniques, archaïques ou rares.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

ghastly is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ˈɡæst.li\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for ghastly, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is ghastly, spelled G-H-A-S-T-L-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Horrible, hideux.
  2. 2
    Blafard (pour une lumière).

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

How do you spell "ghastly"?
"ghastly" is spelled G-H-A-S-T-L-Y. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈɡæst.li\.
What does "ghastly" mean?
As an adjective, "ghastly" means: Horrible, hideux.
How do you pronounce "ghastly"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ghastly" is \ˈɡæst.li\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ghastly" come from?
"ghastly" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

What to do next

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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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list