Which to use
“word” is a noun and “work” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,661
- “word” frequency rank
- #7,425
- “work” frequency rank
- 16086
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | word | work |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | kleinste selbstständige bedeutungstragende Einheit der Sprache | einer (meist festen) bezahlten Arbeit nachgehen; arbeiten |
Where the eye mixes word and work
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: word vs work
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: word is [wɜːd] while work is [wɜːk]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “word” becomes k in “work”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16086, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
word is recorded at frequency rank #8,661, classified as anoun, pronounced [wɜːd]. work is at rank #7,425, tagged as averb, pronounced [wɜːk].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 16086, this pair ranks #1,938,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of word vs work
Shared letters: orw. Private to "word": d. Private to "work": k.
"word" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "work" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "word" and "work" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "word" vs "work" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "word" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "work" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,938,717 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "word" and "work" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Werds vs word". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,938,717 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.