How to spell gnash

hear itgnash/næʃ/verbSilent and tricky

What it means: To grind teeth together, often in anger.

In a sentence: When the lion gets angry, it will gnash its teeth.

The part people get wrong

Watch for a silent g. Often misspelled as nash or gnesh.

Same family: gnashing, gnashed, gnasher, clench, grind. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Gnash” comes from Middle English forms like “gnaschen,” possibly influenced by older Germanic words meaning ‘to grind the teeth.’ Its silent ‘g’ is a historical leftover that links it to other gn- words once pronounced with a hard g sound.

Patterns it uses: Silent letters

Try spelling it

You will hear the word and a sentence. Type it and press Enter. Then four more words from the same level, so you know where you stand.

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