Which to use
“gais” is an adjective and “gratis” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,874
- “gais” frequency rank
- #20,748
- “gratis” frequency rank
- 44622
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gais | gratis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Masculin pluriel de gai. | Sans qu’il en coûte rien, gratuitement. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gais and gratis apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gais is \ɡe\ while gratis is \ɡʁa.tis\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gais is recorded at frequency rank #23,874, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɡe\. gratis is at rank #20,748, tagged as anadv, pronounced \ɡʁa.tis\.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 44622, this pair ranks #209,067 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of gais vs gratis
Shared letters: agis. Private to "gais": -. Private to "gratis": rt.
"gais" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "gratis" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gais" and "gratis" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "gais" or "gratis"?
Remembering gais vs gratis
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gais”; for an adverb, it's “gratis”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gais” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable