Which to use
“gradual” is an adjective and “gradué” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,611
- “gradual” frequency rank
- #35,065
- “gradué” frequency rank
- 47676
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gradual | gradué |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que está por grados o va de grado en grado. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito perfecto simple de indicativo de graduar. |
Where the eye mixes gradual and gradué
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. gradual runs 7 letters (CCVCVVC) against gradué's 6 (CCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between gradual and gradué
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gradual is [gɾaˈð̞wal] while gradué is [gɾaˈð̞we]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47676, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gradual is recorded at frequency rank #12,611, classified as anadj, pronounced [gɾaˈð̞wal]. gradué is at rank #35,065, tagged as averb, pronounced [gɾaˈð̞we].
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 47676, this pair ranks #118,702 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gradual vs gradué
Shared letters: adgru. Private to "gradual": l. Private to "gradué": é.
"gradual" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVVC · "gradué" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- gradual ← gardual · ggradual · gradaul · graddual · graduall · gradula · graudal · grdaual
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "gradual" and "gradué" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "gradual" or "gradué"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "gradual" and "gradué" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "gradual" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "gradué" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #118,702 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gradual" and "gradué" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grabe vs gradué". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #118,702 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.