gorilla vs guerrilla

Side by side

gorilla or guerrilla?

What is the difference between gorilla and guerrilla?

gorilla means "largest anthropoid ape; terrestrial and vegetarian; of forests of central west Africa". guerrilla means "a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment". They are pronounced identically — /ɡɚˈɪlə/ — so only the spelling and the meaning separate them.

Which is more common, gorilla or guerrilla?

Neither is markedly more common — both sit in the "Familiar" band.

Are gorilla and guerrilla pronounced the same?

Yes. Both are /ɡɚˈɪlə/, said gur-IL-uh. Words that sound alike and are spelled differently are homophones, and they are the commonest source of written mix-ups in English.

Can gorilla and guerrilla be used in the same place in a sentence?

Both work as nouns, so they are grammatically interchangeable. That is exactly what makes the meaning difference worth checking.

Full entry for gorilla · Full entry for guerrilla · More comparisons