grossvsgroveWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gross is a adjective, grove is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gross” is an adjective and “grove” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,579
“gross” frequency rank
#30,192
“grove” frequency rank
52771
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gross grove
Definition Variante orthographique de groß. Bosquet, bois.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gross and grove apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
gross
5 ch
grove

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: gross is \ɡʀoːs\ while grove is \ˈɡɹoʊv\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52771, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gross is recorded at frequency rank #22,579, classified as anadj, pronounced \ɡʀoːs\. grove is at rank #30,192, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ˈɡɹoʊv\.

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 52771, this pair ranks #145,411 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of gross vs grove

Shared letters: gor. Private to "gross": s. Private to "grove": ev.

"gross" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "grove" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • grossggross · gorss · grross · grsos · rgoss
  • groveggrove · gorve · groev · grovve · grrove · grvoe · rgove

Frequency comparison

gross#22,579
grove#30,192

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gross" and "grove" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "gross" is an adjective and "grove" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "gross" or "grove"?
"gross" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,579 in our French list, against #30,192 for "grove". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering gross vs grove

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “gross”; for a noun, it's “grove”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gross” 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