# gene vs genus

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### gene
*noun · IPA /d͡ʒiːn/ · frequency rank #3,883*
A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form (phenotype), such as hair color.

### genus
*noun · IPA /ˈdʒiːnəs/ · frequency rank #10,701*
A category in the classification of organisms, ranking below family (Lat. familia) and above species.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gene-vs-genus