grate and great are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. grate means “furnish with a grate”. great means “relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind”. great is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈɡɹeɪt/
1.v.furnish with a grate
“a grated fireplace”
2.v.gnaw into; make resentful or angry
“The injustice rankled her”
3.v.reduce to small shreds or pulverize by rubbing against a rough or sharp perforated surface
“grate carrots and onions”
/ˈɡɹeɪt/
| grate | great | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɡɹeɪt/ | /ˈɡɹeɪt/ |
| Said | grayt | grayt |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 5 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | adjective, noun |
| Senses | 8 | 7 |
| How common | Familiar | Core |
| Synonyms | none recorded | none recorded |
Full entry for grate · Full entry for great · More comparisons
1.adj.relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
“a great juicy steak”
2.adj.of major significance or importance
“a great work of art”
3.adj.remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect
“a great crisis”