Which to use
“adage” and “agave” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,675
- “adage” frequency rank
- #39,671
- “agave” frequency rank
- 70346
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | adage | agave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An old saying which has obtained credit by long use. | Any plant in the large, variable genus Agave of succulent plants, commonly armed with formidable prickles, flowering at maturity after several years, and generally dying thereafter; large species, such as the maguey or century plant, (Agave americana), produce gigantic inflorescences. Several are of economic importance as sources of fibre such as sisal, and alcoholic beverages such as tequila. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set adage and agave 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 agave (/əˈɡɑːveɪ/) 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 70346, 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/. agave is at rank #39,671, tagged as anoun, pronounced /əˈɡɑːveɪ/.
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 70346, this pair ranks #50,939 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of adage vs agave
Shared letters: aeg. Private to "adage": d. Private to "agave": v.
"adage" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "agave" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "adage" and "agave" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "adage" or "agave"?
Remembering adage vs agave
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