grauesvsgrobesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“graues” and “grobes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#32,066
“graues” frequency rank
#41,216
“grobes” frequency rank
73282
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature graues grobes
Definition Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs grau Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs grob

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set graues and grobes apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
graues
6 ch
grobes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. graues ([ˈɡʁaʊ̯əs]) and grobes ([ɡʁoːbəs]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73282, 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]. grobes is at rank #41,216, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡʁoːbəs].

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 73282, this pair ranks #364,613 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of graues vs grobes

Shared letters: egrs. Private to "graues": au. Private to "grobes": bo.

"graues" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC  ·  "grobes" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • grauesgarues · ggraues · graeus · grauess · grause · grraues · gruaes · rgaues
  • grobesggrobes · gorbes · grboes · grobbes · grobess · grobse · groebs · grrobes

Frequency comparison

graues#32,066
grobes#41,216

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "graues" and "grobes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡʁaʊ̯əs] versus [ɡʁoːbəs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "graues" or "grobes"?
"graues" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #32,066 in our German list, against #41,216 for "grobes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering graues vs grobes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “graues” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list