Which to use
“gram” and “gran” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,219
- “gram” frequency rank
- #16,245
- “gran” frequency rank
- 26464
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gram | gran |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A unit of mass equal to one-thousandth of a kilogram. Symbol: g. | A grandmother. |
Where the eye mixes gram and gran
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses gram with gran
A purely visual mix-up. gram (/ˈɡɹæm/) and gran (/ɡɹæn/) 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 a single letter - m in “gram” becomes n in “gran”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gram is recorded at frequency rank #10,219, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɡɹæm/. gran is at rank #16,245, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹæn/.
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 26464, this pair ranks #386,525 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gram vs gran
Shared letters: agr. Private to "gram": m. Private to "gran": n.
"gram" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "gran" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gram" and "gran" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "gram" vs "gran" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "gram" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gran" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #386,525 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gram" and "gran" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gnaw vs gran". 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 #386,525 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.