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PlainSpell

grill

/ɡɹɪl/noun, verb

grill is spelled G-R-I-L-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 6.9 times per million words in written English, the 9,045th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “grill vs grille” about 880 times a month (Google, United States). As a noun, grill means “A grating; a grid of wire or a sheet of material with a pattern of holes or slots, usually used to protect something while allowing the passage of…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of grill is grills or grillz.

How many letters and syllables are in grill?

Letters5: G-R-I-L-L
Syllables1 (from its American pronunciation)
In writing6.9 times per million words; the 9,045th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone 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 grill?

Grill appears 6.9 times per million words in written English, the 9,045th 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 grill?

  • /ɡɹɪl/

Grill has one syllable (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: En-us-grill.ogg, EN-AU_ck1_grill.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Words people confuse with grill

Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).

grill vs grille880 G

Also written: grille.

Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).

Forms of grill

  • grills plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • grillz plural
  • grille
  • grilling participle, present
  • grilled participle, past
  • girl
  • griller comparative
  • more grill comparative
  • grillest superlative
  • most grill superlative

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does grill mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    A grating; a grid of wire or a sheet of material with a pattern of holes or slots, usually used to protect something while allowing the passage of air and liquids. Typical uses: to allow air through a fan while preventing fingers or objects from passing; to allow people to talk to somebody, while preventing attack.

  2. 2

    The criss-cross pieces that separate panes of glass in a window.

  3. 3

    On a vehicle, a slotted cover as above, to protect and hide the radiator, while admitting air to cool it.

  4. 4

    UKA cooking device comprising a source of radiative heat and a means of holding food under it; a broiler in US English

  5. 5

    USA cooking device comprising a source of radiative and convective heat and a means of holding food above it; a barbecue.

    I put some peppers and mushrooms on the grill to go with dinner.

  6. 6

    Food (designed to be) cooked on a grill.

    a packet of frozen cauliflower cheese grills

  7. 7

    A grillroom; a restaurant serving grilled food.

    These coupons will get you a discount at Johnny's Bar and Grill.

  8. 8

    colloquialA type of jewelry worn on the front teeth.

  9. 9

    obsoleteHarm.

verb

  1. 1

    To cook (food) on a grill; to barbecue.

    Why don't we get together Saturday and grill some burgers?

  2. 2

    AustraliaUKTo cook food under the element of a stove or only under the top element of an oven – (US) broil, (cooking) salamander.

  3. 3

    colloquialTo interrogate; to question aggressively or harshly.

    The police grilled him about his movements at the time of the crime.

  4. 4

    informalTo feel very hot; to swelter.

  5. 5

    To stamp or mark with a grill.

  6. 6

    To stare at.

  7. 7

    ScotlandUSobsoleteTo make angry; provoke; offend, incite.

  8. 8

    ScotlandobsoleteTo terrify; make tremble.

  9. 9

    ScotlandobsoleteTo tremble; shiver.

  10. 10

    ScotlandobsoleteTo snarl; snap.

adjective

  1. 1

    obsoleteHarsh, rough, severe; cruel.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Grill in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchgrille (grating, grid), calandre (vehicle front cover), gril, barbecue (barbecue), griller (to cook food on a grill)
GermanGrill (grating, grid), grillen, grillieren (to cook food on a grill), ausquetschen (to interrogate)
Portuguesegrelha (grating, grid), grelhador (barbecue), grelhar (to cook food on a grill)
Spanishrejilla (grating, grid), grilla (vehicle front cover), asar, parrillar (to cook food on a grill), grill, parrilla (cooking device comprising a source of radiative…)

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 grill come from?

1655, from French gril, from Middle French gril, from Old French greïl, graïl (“gridiron”), from graïlle (“grate, grating”), from Latin crātīcula (“gridiron”), diminutive of crātis (“hurdle, wickerwork”), q.v. Related to griddle, hurdle.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What to look up after grill