Which to use
“adage” and “agate” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,675
- “adage” frequency rank
- #36,422
- “agate” frequency rank
- 67097
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | adage | agate |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An old saying which has obtained credit by long use. | A semitransparent, uncrystallized silicate mineral and semiprecious stone, presenting various tints in the same specimen, with colors delicately arranged and often curved in parallel alternating dark and light stripes or bands, or blended in clouds; various authorities call it a variety of chalcedony, a variety of quartz, or a combination of the two. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set adage and agate apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. adage (/ˈæd.ɪd͡ʒ/) and agate (/ˈæɡ.ɪt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67097, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
adage is recorded at frequency rank #30,675, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈæd.ɪd͡ʒ/. agate is at rank #36,422, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈæɡ.ɪt/.
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 67097, this pair ranks #64,956 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of adage vs agate
Shared letters: aeg. Private to "adage": d. Private to "agate": t.
"adage" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "agate" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "adage" and "agate" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "adage" or "agate"?
Remembering adage vs agate
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 “adage” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable