Which to use
“grates” and “greats” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,675
- “grates” frequency rank
- #19,849
- “greats” frequency rank
- 63524
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grates | greats |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of grate | plural of great |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set grates and greats apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. grates and greats are pronounced identically (/ɡɹeɪts/) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They are an anagram pair: the same letters reordered. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63524, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
grates is recorded at frequency rank #43,675, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹeɪts/. greats is at rank #19,849, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹeɪts/.
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 63524, this pair ranks #82,496 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of grates vs greats
Shared letters: aegrst. Private to "grates": -. Private to "greats": -.
"grates" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "greats" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "grates" and "greats" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "grates" or "greats"?
Remembering grates vs greats
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “grates” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable