Which to use
“grated” is an adjective and “grave” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,769
- “grated” frequency rank
- #4,239
- “grave” frequency rank
- 29008
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grated | grave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Produced by grating. | An excavation in the earth as a place of burial. |
Where the eye mixes grated and grave
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses grated with grave
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: grated is /ˈɡɹeɪtɪd/ while grave is /ɡɹeɪv/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29008, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
grated is recorded at frequency rank #24,769, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈɡɹeɪtɪd/. grave is at rank #4,239, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹeɪv/.
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 29008, this pair ranks #366,518 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of grated vs grave
Shared letters: aegr. Private to "grated": dt. Private to "grave": v.
"grated" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "grave" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "grated" and "grave" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "grated" vs "grave" - 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 "grated" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grave" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #366,518 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "grated" and "grave" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grated vs grates". 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 #366,518 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.