Which to use
“Accept” is the verb meaning to receive or agree to. “Except” means excluding or leaving out. You accept a gift; everyone came except Sam.
- #1,473
- “accept” frequency rank
- #1,017
- “except” frequency rank
- 99
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | accept | except |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To receive, especially with a consent, with favour, or with approval. | To exclude; to specify as being an exception. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set accept and except apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
accept and except form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 99, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
accept is recorded at frequency rank #1,473, classified as averb, pronounced /əkˈsɛpt/. except is at rank #1,017, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪkˈsɛpt/.
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.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between "accept" and "except"?
Can "accept" and "except" be used interchangeably?
Remembering accept vs except
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “accept” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable