Which to use
“grudge” and “grudges” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,842
- “grudge” frequency rank
- #32,421
- “grudges” frequency rank
- 51263
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | grudge | grudges |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deep-seated and/or long-term animosity or ill will about something or someone, especially due to perceived mistreatment. | plural of grudge |
Where the eye mixes grudge and grudges
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses grudge with grudges
A purely visual mix-up. grudge (/ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/) and grudges (/ˈɡɹʌd͡ʒɪz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “grudge” sits inside “grudges”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51263, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
grudge is recorded at frequency rank #18,842, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹʌd͡ʒ/. grudges is at rank #32,421, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɡɹʌd͡ʒɪz/.
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 51263, this pair ranks #166,951 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of grudge vs grudges
Shared letters: degru. Private to "grudge": -. Private to "grudges": s.
"grudge" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "grudges" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "grudge" for "grudges" ever safe?
Frequency check: "grudge" vs "grudges" - 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 "grudge" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grudges" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #166,951 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "grudge" and "grudges" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grudges vs grunge". 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 #166,951 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.