grace

/ɡɹeɪs/

//ɡɹeɪs// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"grace" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“grace” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #2,680 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#2,680
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Charming, pleasing qualities.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

grace vs GRE
0% similar
grace vs gray
60% similar
grace vs gram
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for grace
PropertyValue
Headwordgrace
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɡɹeɪs/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,680
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “grace” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). grace lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for grace is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɡɹeɪs/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,680 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 9 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for grace, with forms such as "garce", "ggrace", and "gracce". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "GRE", "gray", "gram", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English grace, from Old French grace (modern French grâce), from Latin grātia (“kindness, favour, esteem”), from grātus (“pleasing”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“to praise, welcome”); compare grateful. The word displaced the native Middle… The correct English form is grace, spelled G-R-A-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Charming, pleasing qualities.
  2. 2
    A short prayer of thanks before or after a meal.
  3. 3
    In the games of patience or solitaire: a special move that is normally against the rules.
  4. 4
    A grace note.
  5. 5
    Elegant movement; elegance of movement; balance or poise.
  6. 6
    An allowance of time granted to a debtor during which they are free of at least part of their normal obligations towards the creditor.
  7. 7
    Free and undeserved favour, especially of God; unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their regeneration or sanctification, or for resisting sin.
  8. 8
    An act or decree of the governing body of an English university.
  9. 9
    Mercy, pardon.

Etymology

From Middle English grace, from Old French grace (modern French grâce), from Latin grātia (“kindness, favour, esteem”), from grātus (“pleasing”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“to praise, welcome”); compare grateful. The word displaced the native Middle English held, hield (“grace”) (from Old English held, hyld (“grace”)), Middle English este (“grace, favour, pleasure”) (from Old English ēst (“grace, kindness, favour”)), Middle English athmede(n) (“grace”) (from Old English ēadmēdu (“grace”)), Middle English are, ore (“grace, mercy, honour”) (from Old English ār (“honour, grace, kindness, mercy”)).

This word in other languages

gracias(Español)bénédicité(Français)Tischgebet(Deutsch)graças(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: garce,ggrace,gracce,graec,grcae,grrace,rgace

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of grace - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

garce2ggrace1gracce1graec2grcae2grrace1rgace2
Edit distance from "grace"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "grace"?
"grace" is spelled G-R-A-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹeɪs/.
What does "grace" mean?
As a noun, "grace" means: Charming, pleasing qualities.
What words are commonly confused with "grace"?
"grace" is commonly confused with "GRE", "gray", "gram". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grace"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grace" is /ɡɹeɪs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "grace"?
From Middle English grace, from Old French grace (modern French grâce), from Latin grātia (“kindness, favour, esteem”), from grātus (“pleasing”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerH- (“to praise, welcome”); compare grateful. The word displaced the nat... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “grace”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is G-R-A-C-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɡɹeɪs/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “GRE” - see the side-by-side comparison. grace vs GRE
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list