Which to use
“graded” is a verb and “grate” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,034
- “graded” frequency rank
- #23,284
- “grate” frequency rank
- 39318
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | graded | grate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of grade | A horizontal metal grill through which liquid, ash, or small objects can fall, while larger objects cannot. |
Where the eye mixes graded and grate
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between graded and grate
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: graded is /ˈɡɹeɪdɪd/ while grate is /ɡɹeɪt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39318, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
graded is recorded at frequency rank #16,034, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈɡɹeɪdɪd/. grate is at rank #23,284, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹeɪt/.
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 39318, this pair ranks #277,797 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of graded vs grate
Shared letters: aegr. Private to "graded": d. Private to "grate": t.
"graded" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "grate" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "graded" and "grate" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "graded" or "grate"?
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 "graded" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grate" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #277,797 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "graded" and "grate" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grasse vs grate". 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 #277,797 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.