Which to use
“addict” and “advice” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,499
- “addict” frequency rank
- #1,382
- “advice” frequency rank
- 12881
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | addict | advice |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A person who is addicted, especially to a harmful drug. | An opinion offered to guide behavior in an effort to be helpful. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set addict and advice apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. addict (/ˈæd.ɪkt/) and advice (/ədˈvaɪs/) 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 12881, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
addict is recorded at frequency rank #11,499, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈæd.ɪkt/. advice is at rank #1,382, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ədˈvaɪs/.
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 12881, this pair ranks #479,017 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of addict vs advice
Shared letters: acdi. Private to "addict": t. Private to "advice": ev.
"addict" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "advice" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "addict" and "advice" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "addict" or "advice"?
Remembering addict vs advice
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 “addict” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable