Acris gryllus gryllus has a small body about 1.6-3.2cm long, a tapered snout, and anal warts. The head is pointed and has a dark triangle between the eyes (Behler 1979). A light bar extends from the eye to the forelimb. The thigh is marked by a clean, dark stripe surrounded by distinct light stripes. The other subspecies Acris gryllus dorsalis is similar in size and appearance to A. g. gryllus, except that it has no anal warts and the rear of its thigh is marked by two dark lines.

Males have a grayish chest and throat with a round vocal sac. These body areas are usually more spotted in males than females (Stebbins 1954).

Acris gryllus can be distinguished from other species of this genus by its longer hind legs and smaller degree of webbing on toes. Specifically, the webbing does not reach the tip of the first toe (Conant and Collins 1991).