grey

\ɡreɪ\

/\ɡreɪ\/ adj

The verdict

“grey” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #9,323 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#9,323
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Gris.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

grey vs guy
50% similar
grey vs gué
25% similar
grey vs gros
50% similar

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

Key facts for grey
PropertyValue
Headwordgrey
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɡreɪ\
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,323
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “grey” 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). grey 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 grey is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɡreɪ\. Corpus data places it at rank #9,323 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Gris.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for grey, with forms such as "gery", "ggrey", and "greyy". 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, "guy", "gué", "gros", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is grey, spelled G-R-E-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Gris.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: gery,ggrey,greyy,grrey,grye,rgey

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

gery2ggrey1greyy1grrey1grye2rgey2
Edit distance from "grey"

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 "grey"?
"grey" is spelled G-R-E-Y. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡreɪ\.
What does "grey" mean?
As an adjective, "grey" means: Gris.
What words are commonly confused with "grey"?
"grey" is commonly confused with "guy", "gué", "gros". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "grey"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grey" is \ɡreɪ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "grey" come from?
"grey" 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 “grey”

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

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