Which to use
“8” is a verb and “eight” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #312
- “8” frequency rank
- #1,016
- “eight” frequency rank
- 1328
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | 8 | eight |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abbreviation of ate. | A numerical value equal to 8; the number occurring after seven and before nine. |
Same sound, different letters: 8 vs eight
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. No shared letter run - the mix-up is pure homophony.
Homophone desk: 8 vs eight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: 8 and eight carry the same recorded pronunciation, /eɪt/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anum, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 4 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1328, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
8 is recorded at frequency rank #312, classified as averb, pronounced /eɪt/. eight is at rank #1,016, tagged as anum, pronounced /eɪt/.
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 1328, this pair ranks #527,649 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of 8 vs eight
Shared letters: none. Private to "8": -. Private to "eight": eghit.
"8" · 0 letters · shape · "eight" · 5 letters · shape VVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- eight ← egiht · eigght · eighht · eightt · eigth · eihgt · ieght
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "8" for "eight" ever safe?
Which is more common, "8" or "eight"?
After this comparison
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "8" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "eight" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #527,649 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "8" and "eight" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eight vs Enright". 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 #527,649 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.