In the English language sometimes removing an unnecessary silent letter can change the meaning of the word without changing the sound.  For example, “too” and “to”.  (Let’s not even get into the number) “Grille” and “Grill” are two of those words.

If you are looking for a vent and you search for “grill” you will most likely get bombarded with ads for barbecue grilles, restaurants and perhaps news about some interrogation.  However, if you happen to be looking for a bar with a short order cook, and you search for “grille” you are probably going to find vents and lots of pictures of the front end of various automobiles.

In English, “grill” is defined as an interrogation in its verb form.  As a noun, it is defined as an establishment where meals are served or a cooking device of parallel bars on which food is exposed to heat.  “Grille” is defined only as a noun meaning a grating forming a barrier or screen covering an opening.

So how did we end up with two spellings.  The French words “le gril” and “la grillade” meaning gridiron or the act of grilling respectively are the origin of both spellings.  In the French language words are designated with a masculine “le” or a feminine “la”.  With no similar distinction in the English language the “e” became the distinction for the metal grid type structure and the “grill” spelling differentiated the action of grilling which migrated to pretty much all food related definitions of the word and ultimately also became a term for questioning or interrogation.

Ultimately, for every day life, it’s probably best to think of “grille” with the “e” as screen, a word that has not one, but two “e’s”.  Then think of “grill” as all things food, neither word having any “e’s”.