Which to use
“graues” and “gries” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,066
- “graues” frequency rank
- #47,460
- “gries” frequency rank
- 79526
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | graues | gries |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs grau | grau, grauhaarig oder trübe beim Wetter |
Where the eye mixes graues and gries
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses graues with gries
A purely visual mix-up. graues ([ˈɡʁaʊ̯əs]) and gries ([ɡʁiːs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79526, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
graues is recorded at frequency rank #32,066, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɡʁaʊ̯əs]. gries is at rank #47,460, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡʁiːs].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 79526, this pair ranks #214,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of graues vs gries
Shared letters: egrs. Private to "graues": au. Private to "gries": i.
"graues" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC · "gries" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "graues" for "gries" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "graues" or "gries" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "graues" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gries" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #214,617 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "graues" and "gries" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gries vs Grimms". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #214,617 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.