gimmevsgnomeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gimme is a contraction, gnome is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gimme” is a contraction and “gnome” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,522
“gimme” frequency rank
#22,391
“gnome” frequency rank
35913
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gimme gnome
Definition Give me. An elemental (spirit or corporeal creature associated with a classical element) associated with earth.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gimme and gnome apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
gimme
5 ch
gnome

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gimme is /ˈɡɪmiː/ while gnome is /ˈnəʊ̯m/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (contraction vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35913, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gimme is recorded at frequency rank #13,522, classified as acontraction, pronounced /ˈɡɪmiː/. gnome is at rank #22,391, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈnəʊ̯m/.

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 35913, this pair ranks #307,831 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gimme vs gnome

Shared letters: egm. Private to "gimme": i. Private to "gnome": no.

"gimme" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV  ·  "gnome" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gimmeggimme · gime · gimem · gmime · igmme
  • gnomeggnome · gnmoe · gnnome · gnoem · gnomme · gonme · ngome

Frequency comparison

gimme#13,522
gnome#22,391

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gimme" and "gnome" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gimme" is a contraction and "gnome" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gimme" or "gnome"?
"gimme" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,522 in our English list, against #22,391 for "gnome". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gimme vs gnome

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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