Is It *Jist or Gist? | Meaning, Spelling & Examples

Gist is a noun that typically means “most important idea” or “essence,” but it can also be used to refer to the grounds of a legal action. It’s almost always preceded by the definite article “the” (and can’t be used with the indefinite article “a”).

Jist is a misspelling of the word gist and should not be used. The QuillBot Grammar Checker will fix this and other common mistakes automatically.

Examples: Jist or gist in a sentence
✗ I read the summary to get the jist of the novel's plot.
✓ I read the summary to get the gist of the novel's plot.

✗ Can you give me the jist of the presentation in a few sentences?
✓ Can you give me the gist of the presentation in a few sentences?

Get the gist is a phrase used to express that someone understands the main idea of something, even when not all details have been mentioned. It’s often preceded by a pronoun to indicate whom the expression refers to (e.g., “he gets the gist”).

The expression is considered informal and should only be used in informal writing. It’s best to avoid it in academic writing or professional correspondence (where knowing the details of what you’re discussing is important!).

Get the jist is a common misspelling of the expression and should not be used.

Examples: Get the gist in a sentence
I haven’t heard the whole story, but I think I get the gist.
The instructions were unclear, but I managed to get the gist
Steve’s handwriting is so messy, but we managed to get the gist.

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