gemavsgramaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#23,426
“gema” frequency rank
#44,221
“grama” frequency rank
67647
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gema grama
Definition Cualquier piedra preciosa. (Cynodon dactylon) Hierba de la familia de las gramíneas, tallo rastrero, hojas cortas y planas, flores en espigas. Mide entre diez y quince cm. de altura. Es cosmopolita e invade todo tipo de terrenos; se la considera una plaga. Los rizomas y estolones se usan en medicina natural en cocción como depurativo, diurético, expectorante y febrífugo.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gema and grama apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
gema
5 ch
grama

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gema ([ˈxema]) and grama ([ˈgɾama]) 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 67647, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gema is recorded at frequency rank #23,426, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈxema]. grama is at rank #44,221, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈgɾama].

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 67647, this pair ranks #36,592 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of gema vs grama

Shared letters: agm. Private to "gema": e. Private to "grama": r.

"gema" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "grama" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gemaegma · geam · ggema · gmea
  • gramagarma · ggrama · graam · gramma · grmaa · grrama · rgama

Frequency comparison

gema#23,426
grama#44,221

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gema" and "grama" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈxema] versus [ˈgɾama]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gema" or "grama"?
"gema" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,426 in our Spanish list, against #44,221 for "grama". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gema vs grama

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 “gema” 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