graphvsgropeWhich spelling fits?

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

Which to use

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

#6,577
“graph” frequency rank
#42,680
“grope” frequency rank
49257
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature graph grope
Definition A data chart (graphical representation of data) intended to illustrate the relationship between a set (or sets) of numbers (quantities, measurements or indicative numbers) and a reference set, whose elements are indexed to those of the former set(s) and may or may not be numbers. To feel with or use the hands; to handle.

Where the eye mixes graph and grope

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
graph
5 ch
grope

Look-alike desk: graph vs grope

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: graph is /ɡɹɑːf/ while grope is /ɡɹəʊp/. 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 49257, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

graph is recorded at frequency rank #6,577, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹɑːf/. grope is at rank #42,680, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɡɹəʊp/.

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 49257, this pair ranks #185,348 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of graph vs grope

Shared letters: gpr. Private to "graph": ah. Private to "grope": eo.

"graph" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "grope" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • graphgarph · ggraph · grahp · graphh · grapph · grpah · grraph · rgaph
  • gropeggrope · gorpe · groep · groppe · grpoe · grrope · rgope

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "graph" for "grope" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "graph" is a noun and "grope" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "graph" vs "grope" - which ranks higher?
"graph" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,577 in our English list, against #42,680 for "grope". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "graph" and "grope" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "graph" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "grope" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #185,348 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "graph" and "grope" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "gronk vs grope". 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 #185,348 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list