grain

\ɡʁɛ̃\

/\ɡʁɛ̃\/ noun

The verdict

“grain” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #6,620 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#6,620
frequency rank, French
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Fruit et semence des céréales contenu dans l’épi.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

grain vs gris
60% similar
grain vs Gras
40% similar
grain vs gray
60% similar

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

Key facts for grain
PropertyValue
Headwordgrain
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɡʁɛ̃\
Letters5
Frequency rank#6,620
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “grain” sits in French frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for grain is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɡʁɛ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #6,620 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 17 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for grain, with forms such as "garin", "ggrain", and "grainn". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "gris", "Gras", "gray", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is grain, spelled G-R-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fruit et semence des céréales contenu dans l’épi.
  2. 2
    Ce qu’on sème pour la reproduction des céréales.
  3. 3
    Fruit de certaines plantes et de certains arbrisseaux.
  4. 4
    Sous les tropiques, désigne les légumes secs (haricots rouges ou blancs, lentilles…).
  5. 5
    Petit objet de la taille d’une graine.
  6. 6
    Chose faite à peu près en forme de grain.
  7. 7
    Très petite quantité de quelque chose.
  8. 8
    Poids qui était le soixante-douzième d’un gros.
  9. 9
    Unité de mesure de poids valant cinq centigrammes soit le quart d’un carat.
  10. 10
    Petites aspérités présentes à la surface de certaines étoffes, de certains cuirs, de certaines peaux.
  11. 11
    La texture visuelle ou au toucher d’un cuir, d’un bois, d’un papier, d’une peau.
  12. 12
    Petit élément homogène ou monocristallin dans un matériau non amorphe. Parties ténues et serrées entre elles qui forment la masse des pierres, des métaux, etc., et que l’on aperçoit à l’endroit où ils sont cassés ou coupés.
  13. 13
    Plus petit détail visible d’un tirage photographique, d’une impression et qui définit la qualité de sa résolution.
  14. 14
    Vent violent et de peu de durée qui s’élève soudainement et qui est généralement accompagné de précipitations.
  15. 15
    Tonalité de la voix.
  16. 16
    Élément graphique de très faible surface et de contour irrégulier.
  17. 17
    Aspect d’une image résultant de son fractionnement en petits éléments irréguliers.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: garin,ggrain,grainn,grani,grian,grrain,rgain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

garin2ggrain1grainn1grani2grian2grrain1rgain2
Edit distance from "grain"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "grain"?
"grain" is spelled G-R-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡʁɛ̃\.
What does "grain" mean?
As a noun, "grain" means: Fruit et semence des céréales contenu dans l’épi.
What words are commonly confused with "grain"?
"grain" is commonly confused with "gris", "Gras", "gray". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grain" is \ɡʁɛ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "grain" come from?
"grain" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “grain”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is G-R-A-I-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɡʁɛ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “gris” - see the side-by-side comparison. grain vs gris
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

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