gommesvsgrammesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“gommes” and “grammes” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#39,322
“gommes” frequency rank
#8,860
“grammes” frequency rank
48182
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gommes grammes
Definition Pluriel de gomme. Pluriel de gramme.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gommes and grammes apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
gommes
7 ch
grammes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. gommes (\ɡɔm\) and grammes (\ɡʁam\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48182, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gommes is recorded at frequency rank #39,322, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɡɔm\. grammes is at rank #8,860, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɡʁam\.

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 48182, this pair ranks #180,964 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gommes vs grammes

Shared letters: egms. Private to "gommes": o. Private to "grammes": ar.

"gommes" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "grammes" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • gommesggommes · gmomes · gomems · gommess · gommse · ogmmes
  • grammesgarmmes · ggrammes · gramems · grames · grammess · grammse · grmames · grrammes

Frequency comparison

gommes#39,322
grammes#8,860

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gommes" and "grammes" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ɡɔm\ versus \ɡʁam\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "gommes" or "grammes"?
"grammes" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,860 in our French list, against #39,322 for "gommes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gommes vs grammes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gommes” 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