Which to use
“grid” is a noun and “grimy” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,330
- “grid” frequency rank
- #38,870
- “grimy” frequency rank
- 44200
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grid | grimy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A rectangular array of squares or rectangles of equal size, such as in a crossword puzzle. | Stained or covered with grime. |
Where the eye mixes grid and grimy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: grid vs grimy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: grid is /ɡɹɪd/ while grimy is /ˈɡɹaɪmi/. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44200, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
grid is recorded at frequency rank #5,330, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹɪd/. grimy is at rank #38,870, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈɡɹaɪmi/.
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 44200, this pair ranks #232,784 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of grid vs grimy
Shared letters: gir. Private to "grid": d. Private to "grimy": my.
"grid" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "grimy" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "grid" and "grimy" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "grid" vs "grimy" - 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 "grid" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grimy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #232,784 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "grid" and "grimy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grimly vs grimy". 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 #232,784 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.