gris

\ɡʁi\

/\ɡʁi\/ adj

The verdict

“gris” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,539 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#3,539
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - De couleur grise, entre le blanc et le noir.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

gris vs Gs
25% similar
gris vs gus
50% similar
gris vs gui
50% similar

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

Key facts for gris
PropertyValue
Headwordgris
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɡʁi\
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,539
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “gris” 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). gris 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 gris is 4 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ɡʁi\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,539 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for gris, with forms such as "ggris", "girs", and "griss". 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, "Gs", "gus", "gui", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct French form is gris, spelled G-R-I-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    De couleur grise, entre le blanc et le noir.
  2. 2
    Qualifie cette couleur unie de robe de chevaux.
  3. 3
    Qualifie cette couleur unie de robe de chevaux.
  4. 4
    Nuageux, couvert et un peu frais.
  5. 5
    Terne, triste.
  6. 6
    Un peu saoul, ivre.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ggris,girs,griss,grris,grsi,rgis

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of gris - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ggris1girs2griss1grris1grsi2rgis2
Edit distance from "gris"

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 "gris"?
"gris" is spelled G-R-I-S. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡʁi\.
What does "gris" mean?
As an adjective, "gris" means: De couleur grise, entre le blanc et le noir.
What words are commonly confused with "gris"?
"gris" is commonly confused with "Gs", "gus", "gui". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "gris"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "gris" is \ɡʁi\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "gris" come from?
"gris" 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 “gris”

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

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