Which to use
“gros” is an adjective and “grossi” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #315
- “gros” frequency rank
- #22,287
- “grossi” frequency rank
- 22602
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | gros | grossi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Qui a beaucoup de circonférence ou de volume. | Participe passé masculin singulier du verbe grossir. |
Where the eye mixes gros and grossi
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. gros runs 4 letters (CCVC) against grossi's 6 (CCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses gros with grossi
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gros is \ɡʁo\ while grossi is \ɡʁo.si\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “gros” sits inside “grossi”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22602, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
gros is recorded at frequency rank #315, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɡʁo\. grossi is at rank #22,287, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɡʁo.si\.
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 22602, this pair ranks #357,105 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of gros vs grossi
Shared letters: gors. Private to "gros": -. Private to "grossi": i.
"gros" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "grossi" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "gros" and "grossi" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "gros" vs "grossi" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "gros" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "grossi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #357,105 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "gros" and "grossi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "grossi vs grossis". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #357,105 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.