grotesk

\ɡʁoˈtɛsk\

/\ɡʁoˈtɛsk\/ adj

The verdict

“grotesk” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Grotesque.

Corpus desk

Index FR-grotesk · grotesk · French

grotesk · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "G" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for grotesk
PropertyValue
Headwordgrotesk
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɡʁoˈtɛsk\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « grotesk » en français

grotesksiège au-delà des 100.000 formes les plus fréquentes du français, dans la traîne du lexique spécialisé ou peu usité.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

grotesk is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ɡʁoˈtɛsk\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Grotesque.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for grotesk, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is grotesk, spelled G-R-O-T-E-S-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Grotesque.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how grotesk appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Wie Eduard selbst anmerkt, ist eine Chronik des Lebens in der Sowjetunion während der sechziger Jahre nicht vollständig ohne den KGB. Der westliche Leser zittert schon. Er denkt an den Gulag und an Internierungen in der Psychiatrie, doch auch wenn Eduard sich öfter auf der Polizeiwache wiederfand, als ihm lieb war, so war sein Kontakt mit den Organen von…
  2. Tierische Fressfeinde sind ohnehin selten und werden überdies von vornherein durch die dicht an dicht stehenden Stachel abgeschreckt. Dieses Fehlen eines Selektionsdrucks erlaubt den Kakteen, ungeniert eine große Vielfalt an grotesken, zum Amüsement der Touristen geeigneten Formen hervorzubringen.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "grotesk"?
"grotesk" is spelled G-R-O-T-E-S-K. The IPA pronunciation is \ɡʁoˈtɛsk\.
What does "grotesk" mean?
As an adjective, "grotesk" means: Grotesque.
How do you pronounce "grotesk"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "grotesk" is \ɡʁoˈtɛsk\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "grotesk" come from?
"grotesk" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list