Gap

How to spell gap

3 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce gap

What does gap mean?

1. nounAn empty space, break, or interval between two things, whether physical or abstract.

Gap in a sentence

• A wide gap in the fence let the dog escape into the garden.

• There is a noticeable gap between what the staff earn and what the managers earn.

Where does gap come from?

Language of origin: Old Norse

The word comes from Old Norse gap, which meant a wide opening, a chasm, or a gaping mouth. It entered Middle English in the medieval period, carried in by Scandinavian settlers, and it belongs to the same family as the verb 'gape', meaning to open the mouth wide or stare with the mouth open. The original sense was very physical, picturing a breach in a wall, a notch in a range of hills, or a literal hole, and from there it broadened to cover any empty space or interval. In modern English the meaning has stretched comfortably into the abstract, so we now speak of a gap in knowledge, a gap in a schedule, or a gap between two figures. The spelling has stayed short and stable for centuries, which is why almost nobody misspells it; the single consonants and the lone vowel leave little room for error.

How the word is built

• gap (Old Norse root meaning an opening or chasm), a single unbroken root with no prefix or suffix