GrosvsGrosseWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,727
“Gros” frequency rank
#259
“Grosse” frequency rank
16986
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gros Grosse
Definition zwölf Dutzend (144 Stück) Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Gros

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
Gros
6 ch
Grosse

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Gros ([ɡʁɔs]) and Grosse ([ˈɡʁɔsə]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Gros” sits inside “Grosse”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16986, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Gros is recorded at frequency rank #16,727, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡʁɔs]. Grosse is at rank #259, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡʁɔsə].

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 16986, this pair ranks #1,931,342 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Gros vs Grosse

Shared letters: gors. Private to "Gros": -. Private to "Grosse": e.

"Gros" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "Grosse" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Grosggros · gors · gross · grros · grso · rgos
  • Grosseggrosse · gorsse · grose · groses · große · grrosse · grsose · rgosse

Frequency comparison

Gros#16,727
Grosse#259

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Gros" and "Grosse" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡʁɔs] versus [ˈɡʁɔsə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Gros" or "Grosse"?
"Grosse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #259 in our German list, against #16,727 for "Gros". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Gros vs Grosse

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 “Gros” 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