GrossevsGrotteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#259
“Grosse” frequency rank
#32,070
“Grotte” frequency rank
32329
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Grosse Grotte
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Gros Höhle, die nur eine relativ kurze Strecke in den Felsen reicht, oftmals auch eine künstlich angelegte Höhle

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Grosse
6 ch
Grotte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Grosse ([ˈɡʁɔsə]) and Grotte ([ˈɡʁɔtə]) 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 32329, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Grosse is recorded at frequency rank #259, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡʁɔsə]. Grotte is at rank #32,070, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɡʁɔtə].

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 32329, this pair ranks #1,709,967 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Grosse vs Grotte

Shared letters: egor. Private to "Grosse": s. Private to "Grotte": t.

"Grosse" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "Grotte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Grosseggrosse · gorsse · grose · groses · große · grrosse · grsose · rgosse
  • Grotteggrotte · gortte · grote · grotet · grrotte · grtote · rgotte

Frequency comparison

Grosse#259
Grotte#32,070

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Grosse" and "Grotte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈɡʁɔsə] versus [ˈɡʁɔtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Grosse" or "Grotte"?
"Grosse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #259 in our German list, against #32,070 for "Grotte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Grosse vs Grotte

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 “Grosse” 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