gemvsgramWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“gem” and “gram” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#45,343
“gem” frequency rank
#40,325
“gram” frequency rank
85668
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gem gram
Definition Gema. Gram.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gem and gram apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
gem
4 ch
gram

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gem ([ˈjɛmː]) and gram ([ɡʀamˀ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85668, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gem is recorded at frequency rank #45,343, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈjɛmː]. gram is at rank #40,325, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɡʀamˀ].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 85668, this pair ranks #5,937 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of gem vs gram

Shared letters: gm. Private to "gem": e. Private to "gram": ar.

"gem" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "gram" · 4 letters · shape CCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gramgarm · ggram · gramm · grma · grram · rgam

Frequency comparison

gem#45,343
gram#40,325

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gem" and "gram" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈjɛmː] versus [ɡʀamˀ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gem" or "gram"?
"gram" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #40,325 in our Spanish list, against #45,343 for "gem". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gem vs gram

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gem” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list