GrimmvsGrimmeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Grimm is a noun, Grimme is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Grimm” is a noun and “Grimme” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,214
“Grimm” frequency rank
#26,036
“Grimme” frequency rank
34250
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Grimm Grimme
Definition intensives Gefühl des Zornes Familienname

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Grimm and Grimme apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
Grimm
6 ch
Grimme

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Grimm is [ɡʁɪm] while Grimme is [ɡʁɪmə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Grimm” sits inside “Grimme”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34250, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Grimm is recorded at frequency rank #8,214, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡʁɪm]. Grimme is at rank #26,036, tagged as aname, pronounced [ɡʁɪmə].

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 34250, this pair ranks #1,667,630 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Grimm vs Grimme

Shared letters: gimr. Private to "Grimm": -. Private to "Grimme": e.

"Grimm" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Grimme" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Grimmggrimm · girmm · grim · grmim · grrimm · rgimm
  • Grimmeggrimme · girmme · grime · grimem · grmime · grrimme · rgimme

Frequency comparison

Grimm#8,214
Grimme#26,036

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Grimm" and "Grimme" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Grimm" is a noun and "Grimme" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Grimm" or "Grimme"?
"Grimm" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,214 in our German list, against #26,036 for "Grimme". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Grimm vs Grimme

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Grimm”; for a name, it's “Grimme”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Grimm” 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