grating
[ˈɡɹeɪ̯ɾɪŋ]adjective, noun, verb
grating is spelled G-R-A-T-I-N-G: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, grating means “Harsh and unpleasant” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in grating?
| Letters | 7: G-R-A-T-I-N-G |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 1.4 times per million words; the 24,170th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026).
How common is grating?
Grating appears 1.4 times per million words in written English, the 24,170th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce grating?
- /ˈɡɹeɪtɪŋ/
- US [ˈɡɹeɪ̯ɾɪŋ]
Grating has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-grating.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with grating
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
Forms of grating
- gratings plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does grating mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Harsh and unpleasant.
grating vocals
- 2
Annoying; tending to annoy.
noun
- 1
A barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air.
- 2
A frame of iron bars to hold a fire.
- 3
The loose material that comes from something being grated.
Add a few gratings of nutmeg to the hot milk.
- 4
An optical system of close equidistant and parallel lines or bars, especially lines ruled on a polished surface, used for producing spectra by diffraction.
- 5
The strong wooden lattice used to cover a hatch, admitting light and air; also, a movable lattice used for the flooring of boats.
- 6
The sound made by something that grates against something else.
verb
- 1
present participle and gerund of grate
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Grating in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does grating come from?
From grat(e) + -ing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).