Which to use
“add” is a verb and “ai” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #840
- “add” frequency rank
- #4,818
- “ai” frequency rank
- 5658
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | add | ai |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To join or unite (e.g. one thing to another, or as several particulars) so as to increase the number, augment the quantity, or enlarge the magnitude, or so as to form into one aggregate. | A type of three-toed sloth, Bradypus tridactylus, endemic to forests of southern Venezuela, the Guianas, and northern Brazil. |
Where the eye mixes add and ai
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: add vs ai
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: add is /æd/ while ai is /ˈɑ.i/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5658, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
add is recorded at frequency rank #840, classified as averb, pronounced /æd/. ai is at rank #4,818, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɑ.i/.
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 5658, this pair ranks #514,466 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of add vs ai
Shared letters: a. Private to "add": d. Private to "ai": i.
"add" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ai" · 2 letters · shape VV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "add" and "ai" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "add" or "ai"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "add" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ai" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #514,466 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "add" and "ai" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ai vs amb". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #514,466 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.