Which to use
“grace” and “grimace” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,680
- “grace” frequency rank
- #46,492
- “grimace” frequency rank
- 49172
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grace | grimace |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Charming, pleasing qualities. | A contorted facial expression, often expressing contempt or pain. |
Where the eye mixes grace and grimace
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses grace with grimace
A purely visual mix-up. grace (/ɡɹeɪs/) and grimace (/ˈɡɹɪm.əs/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49172, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
grace is recorded at frequency rank #2,680, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹeɪs/. grimace is at rank #46,492, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɡɹɪm.əs/.
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 49172, this pair ranks #186,111 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of grace vs grimace
Shared letters: acegr. Private to "grace": -. Private to "grimace": im.
"grace" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "grimace" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "grace" for "grimace" ever safe?
Frequency check: "grace" vs "grimace" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "grace" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grimace" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #186,111 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "grace" and "grimace" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grimace vs grime". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #186,111 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.