gonzo

adj

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

The verdict

“gonzo” is uncommon French (frequency #53,983 among 194,371 “G” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,983
frequency rank, French
194,371
“G” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qualifie un style journalistique outrageusement personnel, opposé aux dogmes de neutralité subjective de la profession.

Key facts for gonzo
PropertyValue
Headwordgonzo
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
Letters5
Frequency rank#53,983
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gonzo” sits in French frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

gonzo is uncommon French at frequency #53,983 among 194,371 “G” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Qualifie un style journalistique outrageusement personnel, opposé aux dogmes de neutralité subjective de la profession.".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for gonzo, suggesting the orthography follows predictable French patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is gonzo, spelled G-O-N-Z-O.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qualifie un style journalistique outrageusement personnel, opposé aux dogmes de neutralité subjective de la profession.

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "gonzo"?
"gonzo" is spelled G-O-N-Z-O.
What does "gonzo" mean?
As an adjective, "gonzo" means: Qualifie un style journalistique outrageusement personnel, opposé aux dogmes de neutralité subjective de la profession.
What language does "gonzo" come from?
"gonzo" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Using “gonzo”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is G-O-N-Z-O - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Other uncommon French words near this rank

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