Which to use
“gorilla” and “grill” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,613
- “gorilla” frequency rank
- #9,049
- “grill” frequency rank
- 21662
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gorilla | grill |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An ape of the genus Gorilla; endemic to the forests of Central Africa and typified by superlative physical size and strength in relation to other primates. | A grating; a grid of wire or a sheet of material with a pattern of holes or slots, usually used to protect something while allowing the passage of air and liquids. Typical uses: to allow air through a fan while preventing fingers or objects from passing; to allow people to talk to somebody, while preventing attack. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gorilla and grill apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
gorilla and grill form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21662, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gorilla is recorded at frequency rank #12,613, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɡəˈɹɪl.ə/. grill is at rank #9,049, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹɪl/.
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 21662, this pair ranks #422,286 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gorilla" and "grill" be used interchangeably?
Remembering gorilla vs grill
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 “gorilla” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable