The words 'grisly' and 'grizzly' sound similar, but their meanings are
quite different.
Grisly
The adjective
'grisly' means 'horrible', 'shockingly repellent', 'terrifying' or 'gruesome'.
Examples:
In the
grisly climax to the South Park episode, the kids try to rescue Chef, but he falls off a bridge into a ravine, where he is impaled on a tree trunk and mauled by wild animals.

A convicted killer
was today found guilty of a second murder, betrayed by his grisly habit of cutting off his victims' breasts.

The police
spokesman told the reporters that they had uncovered some grisly clues in the missing-girl case.
Grizzly
The words 'grizzly' (used as a noun
or adjective) refers to a powerful
brownish-yellow bear found in the uplands of western North America. It can
be called either a 'grizzly' (plural: grizzlies) or a 'grizzly bear'.
Avoid
grizzly bears. If you get caught off guard by a grizzly, and it decides to
attack you, shoot it in the heart. If you do not have a gun and you cannot get
away, tuck into a tight ball or play dead. However, if the grizzly is
intent on you being its next meal, fight back with everything you've got. 
Pictures of
grizzly bears amusing themselves in the river make them seem cute and innocent,
but they are extremely dangerous. 
Many Forest
Service employees have laid their jobs on the line to prevent the destruction
and fragmentation of the prime habitat for grisly bears. 
(should be grizzly)

avoid grizzly bears
or admire from a distance
Select the correct version:
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OTHER SIMILAR WORDS
'Grizzled' means
'having gray hairs'.
'Gristly'
means 'full of gristle' (usually when referring to meat).
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