grimy

/ˈɡɹaɪmi/

//ˈɡɹaɪmi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“grimy” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,870. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,870
frequency rank, English
2,313
“G” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Stained or covered with grime.

Corpus desk

Index EN-grimy · grimy · English

grimy · rank #38,870 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,870
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,313
  • PHOTO-FINISH GSP

Nearest frequency peer: GSP (+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 “grimy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “grimy” 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).

grimy vs grip
60% similar
grimy vs grin
60% similar
grimy vs grit
60% similar

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

Key facts for grimy
PropertyValue
Headwordgrimy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɡɹaɪmi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#38,870
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “grimy”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “GSP” (#38,871), “Goths” (#38,867), “Gunter” (#38,873). Among 2,313 “G” headwords, “grimy” is #38,870. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around grimy (IPA /ˈɡɹaɪmi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #38,870 among 2,313 “G” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for grimy, with forms such as "ggrimy", "girmy", and "grimmy". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "grip", "grin", "grit", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From grime + -y. The correct English form is grimy, spelled G-R-I-M-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Stained or covered with grime.
  2. 2
    From the urban musical genre called grime.
  3. 3
    Morally corrupt, malicious, vile, or selfish; base or dirty; rotten.
  4. 4
    Of a beat or song, darkly atmospheric; having affinities with the style of the East Coast hip hop of the 90s, especially that of New York.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Then came a maid with hand-bag and shawls, and after her a tall young lady. She stood for a moment holding her skirt above the grimy steps,[…], and the light of the reflector fell full upon her.
  2. Riffs from older songs seem to be more popular, as only two from the past decade made it into the top 20. They were Muse's Plug In Baby, at 11, and The White Stripes' grimy Seven Nation Army at 15.

Etymology

From grime + -y.

This word in other languages

mugriento(Español)schmuddelig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ggrimy
  • girmy
  • grimmy
  • grimyy
  • griym
  • grmiy
  • grrimy
  • rgimy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ggrimy1girmy2grimmy1grimyy1griym2grmiy2grrimy1rgimy2
Edit distance from "grimy"

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 "grimy"?
"grimy" is spelled G-R-I-M-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɡɹaɪmi/.
What does "grimy" mean?
As an adjective, "grimy" means: Stained or covered with grime.
What words are commonly confused with "grimy"?
"grimy" is commonly confused with "grip", "grin", "grit". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grimy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grimy" is /ˈɡɹaɪmi/. 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 "grimy"?
From grime + -y. 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 "grimy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Goths#38,867Ghosh#38,859Fagan#38,835islet#38,916

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Gilliam8 variantsGaiman8 variantsfelling8 variantsKaduna8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list