grey

/ɡɹeɪ/

//ɡɹeɪ// adj

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

"grey" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“grey” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,105. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,105
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.

Corpus desk

Index EN-grey · grey · English

grey · rank #3,105 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,105
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH finger

Nearest frequency peer: finger (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “grey”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “grey” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

grey vs guy
50% similar
grey vs GRU
0% similar
grey vs gro
50% similar

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

Key facts for grey
PropertyValue
Headwordgrey
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɡɹeɪ/
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,105
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “grey”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “finger” (#3,104), “guitar” (#3,106), “exists” (#3,103). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “grey” is #3,105. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around grey (IPA /ɡɹeɪ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,105 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for grey, with forms such as "gery", "ggrey", and "greyy". 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, "guy", "GRU", "gro", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English grey, from Old English grǣġ, from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz (compare Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁- (“to green, to grow”) (compare Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ, “to see,… The correct English form is grey, spelled G-R-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.
  2. 2
    Synonym of coloured (pertaining to the mixed race of black and white).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how grey appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. These grey and dun colors may be also produced by mixing whites and blacks.
  2. This is itself a cheerless spot, particularly on a rainy day, when, overshadowed by the great massif of rock that towers in the background, and surrounded by the grey and cheerless quarries, it has a depressing character much in contrast with the green verdure encountered on the northern end of this interesting branch line.

Etymology

From Middle English grey, from Old English grǣġ, from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz (compare Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁- (“to green, to grow”) (compare Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ, “to see, to glance”), Russian зреть (zretʹ, “to watch, to look at”) (archaic), Lithuanian žeriù (“to shine”)).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • gery
  • ggrey
  • greyy
  • grrey
  • grye
  • rgey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of grey - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

gery2ggrey1greyy1grrey1grye2rgey2
Edit distance from "grey"

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 "grey"?
"grey" is spelled G-R-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɡɹeɪ/.
What does "grey" mean?
As an adjective, "grey" means: Commonwealth standard spelling of gray.
What words are commonly confused with "grey"?
"grey" is commonly confused with "guy", "GRU", "gro". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grey" is /ɡɹeɪ/. 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 "grey"?
From Middle English grey, from Old English grǣġ, from Proto-Germanic *grēwaz (compare Dutch grauw, German grau, Old Norse grár), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰreh₁- (“to green, to grow”) (compare Latin rāvus (“grey”), Old Church Slavonic зьрѭ (zĭrjǫ... 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "grey", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

earn#3,102auto#3,099meal#3,113vast#3,096

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

smell6 variantsrush6 variantsKong6 variantsjury6 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list