# grey

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ɡɹeɪ/ · frequency rank #3,105

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

## 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”)).

## Easily confused with
- **guy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-guy)
- **GRU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-gru)
- **gro** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-gro)
- **grr** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grr)
- **grt** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grt)
- **grow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grow)
- **grid** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grid)
- **grip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grip)
- **grim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grim)
- **grin** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grin)
- **Gwen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-gwen)
- **grit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grit)
- **grub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grub)
- **grog** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grog)
- **grief** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grief)
- **greys** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-greys)
- **grimy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-grimy)
- **gurney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/grey-vs-gurney)
- **ge** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ge-vs-grey)
- **GR** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/gr-vs-grey)

## Common misspellings (6)
`gery`, `ggrey`, `greyy`, `grrey`, `grye`, `rgey`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/grey