Which to use
“abound” is a verb and “about” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,278
- “abound” frequency rank
- #43
- “about” frequency rank
- 20321
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | abound | about |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To be full to overflowing; to bristle. | In a circle around; all round; on every side of; on the outside of; around. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set abound and about apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: abound is /əˈbaʊnd/ while about is /əˈbaʊt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20321, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
abound is recorded at frequency rank #20,278, classified as averb, pronounced /əˈbaʊnd/. about is at rank #43, tagged as aprep, pronounced /əˈbaʊt/.
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 20321, this pair ranks #431,892 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of abound vs about
Shared letters: abou. Private to "abound": dn. Private to "about": t.
"abound" · 6 letters · shape VCVVCC · "about" · 5 letters · shape VCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "abound" and "about" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "abound" or "about"?
Remembering abound vs about
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “abound”; for a preposition, it's “about”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “abound” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable