Despite being the world's most spoken language, English spellings can sometimes be tricky, even for the most well-read among us.
One such tricky spelling is the word grateful, which many people mistakenly write greatful because it seems logical—it contains the word great, which has similarly positive connotations. However, greatful is incorrect.
If you’ve ever found yourself second-guessing which spelling to use, this article will clarify the difference and provide helpful tips to remember the correct form.
The correct spelling is grateful. The word greatful is a common mistake but is not an actual word in the English language. If you see greatful anywhere, it’s simply a misspelling of grateful.
The confusion between grateful and greatful arises from the assumption that the word is related to great. However, grateful actually comes from the Latin word "gratus," which means pleasing or thankful. Over time, gratus evolved into the English word grateful, meaning full of gratitude or expressing thanks.
Since grateful is about showing appreciation rather than being great, the correct spelling reflects its true meaning.
Here are some examples to show how grateful is correctly used in context:
In each of these sentences, grateful conveys a sense of appreciation and thankfulness, which is the correct meaning of the word.
To further understand the use of grateful, here are some common expressions where it frequently appears:
The mistake happens because great is a well-known word with positive meanings, such as wonderful, excellent, or large. Since grateful also has a positive connotation, people assume it should be spelled with great. However, this is incorrect.
Here are a few tips to ensure that you remember to use the correct spelling in your writing:
When expressing thankfulness, always use grateful, not greatful. The key takeaway is that grateful comes from gratitude, not greatness.
Next time you write a thank-you note, reflect on what you are grateful for, and rest assured you’re spelling it correctly!
