Which to use
“achieve” is a verb and “active” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,607
- “achieve” frequency rank
- #1,239
- “active” frequency rank
- 3846
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | achieve | active |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To succeed in something, now especially in academic performance. | Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set achieve and active apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
achieve and active form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3846, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
achieve is recorded at frequency rank #2,607, classified as averb, pronounced /əˈt͡ʃiːv/. active is at rank #1,239, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈæk.tɪv/.
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 3846, this pair ranks #520,813 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "achieve" and "active" be used interchangeably?
Remembering achieve vs active
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “achieve”; for an adjective, it's “active”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “achieve” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable