GorillavsgrillaWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#47,833
“Gorilla” frequency rank
#37,116
“grilla” frequency rank
84949
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Gorilla grilla
Definition Gorila. Hembra del grillo₁ que, al contrario del macho, no produce ningún sonido.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Gorilla and grilla apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
Gorilla
6 ch
grilla

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Gorilla ([ɡoˈʁɪla]) and grilla ([ˈgɾiʝa]) 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 84949, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Gorilla is recorded at frequency rank #47,833, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɡoˈʁɪla]. grilla is at rank #37,116, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈgɾiʝa].

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 84949, this pair ranks #6,542 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Gorilla vs grilla

Shared letters: agilr. Private to "Gorilla": o. Private to "grilla": -.

"Gorilla" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "grilla" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Gorillaggorilla · goirlla · gorilal · gorlila · gorrilla · groilla · ogrilla
  • grillaggrilla · girlla · grilal · grlila · grrilla · rgilla

Frequency comparison

Gorilla#47,833
grilla#37,116

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Gorilla" and "grilla" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ɡoˈʁɪla] versus [ˈgɾiʝa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Gorilla" or "grilla"?
"grilla" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,116 in our Spanish list, against #47,833 for "Gorilla". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Gorilla vs grilla

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 “Gorilla” 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