gratte

\ɡʁat\

/\ɡʁat\/ noun

The verdict

“gratte” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #9,013 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#9,013
frequency rank, French
6
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - De la ciguatera, un empoisonnement banal par la consommation de certains poissons des récifs tropicaux et lagons.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gratte vs grave
67% similar
gratte vs grotte
83% similar
gratte vs gravée
67% similar

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

Key facts for gratte
PropertyValue
Headwordgratte
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɡʁat\
Letters6
Frequency rank#9,013
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gratte” 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). gratte 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 gratte is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɡʁat\. Corpus data places it at rank #9,013 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 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 gratte, with forms such as "gartte", "ggratte", and "grate". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "grave", "grotte", "gravée", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is gratte, spelled G-R-A-T-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    De la ciguatera, un empoisonnement banal par la consommation de certains poissons des récifs tropicaux et lagons.
  2. 2
    Petites sommes que l’on parvient à prélever, soit par économie, soit par escroquerie.
  3. 3
    La gale. — (Montaigne, Essais III, Chapitre 13 §.82, traduction G.de Pernon.Cf. Dixel.)
  4. 4
    Guitare.
  5. 5
    Autre nom du marteau à égraveler
  6. 6
    Chasse-neige.
  7. 7
    Pense-bête contenant des informations utiles que l’on dissimule pour tricher à un examen scolaire.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: gartte,ggratte,grate,gratet,grratte,grtate,rgatte

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gartte2ggratte1grate1gratet2grratte1grtate2rgatte2
Edit distance from "gratte"

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 "gratte"?
"gratte" is spelled G-R-A-T-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡʁat\.
What does "gratte" mean?
As a noun, "gratte" means: De la ciguatera, un empoisonnement banal par la consommation de certains poissons des récifs tropicaux et lagons.
What words are commonly confused with "gratte"?
"gratte" is commonly confused with "grave", "grotte", "gravée". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gratte"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gratte" is \ɡʁat\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gratte" come from?
"gratte" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 “gratte”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is G-R-A-T-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɡʁat\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “grave” - see the side-by-side comparison. gratte vs grave
  • 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