# absorption vs adsorption

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### absorption
*noun · IPA /əbˈzɔːp.ʃn̩/ · frequency rank #11,828*
The act or process of absorbing or of being absorbed as,

### adsorption
*noun · frequency rank #33,108*
The adhesion of a liquid or gas on the surface of a solid material, forming a thin film on the surface.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/absorption-vs-adsorption