gesvsgraWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: ges is a pronoun, gra is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ges” is a pronoun and “gra” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#17,144
“ges” frequency rank
#44,481
“gra” frequency rank
61625
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ges gra
Definition Contraction de ge les (« je les »). Acte, action.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ges and gra apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
ges
3 ch
gra

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ges is apronoun and graanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61625, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ges is recorded at frequency rank #17,144, classified as apron. gra is at rank #44,481, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈɡrɑː\.

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 61625, this pair ranks #91,287 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ges vs gra

Shared letters: g. Private to "ges": es. Private to "gra": ar.

"ges" · 3 letters · shape CVC  ·  "gra" · 3 letters · shape CCV

Frequency comparison

ges#17,144
gra#44,481

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ges" and "gra" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ges" is a pronoun and "gra" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "ges" or "gra"?
"ges" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #17,144 in our French list, against #44,481 for "gra". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ges vs gra

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “ges”; for a noun, it's “gra”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ges” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list