gramvsgripWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gram is a noun, grip is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gram” is a noun and “grip” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,219
“gram” frequency rank
#5,968
“grip” frequency rank
16187
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gram grip
Definition A unit of mass equal to one-thousandth of a kilogram. Symbol: g. To take hold (of), particularly with the hand.

Where the eye mixes gram and grip

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

4 ch
gram
4 ch
grip

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gram is /ˈɡɹæm/ while grip is /ɡɹɪp/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16187, 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/. grip is at rank #5,968, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɡɹɪp/.

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 16187, this pair ranks #459,342 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of gram vs grip

Shared letters: gr. Private to "gram": am. Private to "grip": ip.

"gram" · 4 letters · shape CCVC  ·  "grip" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gramgarm · ggram · gramm · grma · grram · rgam
  • gripggrip · girp · gripp · grpi · grrip · rgip

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gram" and "grip" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gram" is a noun and "grip" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gram" or "grip"?
"grip" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,968 in our English list, against #10,219 for "gram". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list