Which to use
“gries” is an adjective and “Grimms” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #47,460
- “gries” frequency rank
- #46,004
- “Grimms” frequency rank
- 93464
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gries | Grimms |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | grau, grauhaarig oder trübe beim Wetter | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Grimm |
Where the eye mixes gries and Grimms
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses gries with Grimms
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gries is [ɡʁiːs] while Grimms is [ɡʁɪms]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 93464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gries is recorded at frequency rank #47,460, classified as anadj, pronounced [ɡʁiːs]. Grimms is at rank #46,004, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡʁɪms].
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 93464, this pair ranks #22,655 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of gries vs Grimms
Shared letters: girs. Private to "gries": e. Private to "Grimms": m.
"gries" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Grimms" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "gries" for "Grimms" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "gries" or "Grimms" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gries" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Grimms" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #22,655 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gries" and "Grimms" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Graves vs gries". 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 #22,655 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.