# adhesion vs adhesive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### adhesion
*noun · IPA /ˌædˈhiː.ʒən/ · frequency rank #24,077*
The ability of a substance to stick to an unlike substance.

### adhesive
*adjective · IPA /ədˈhiː.sɪv/ · frequency rank #17,751*
Sticky; tenacious, as glutinous substances.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/adhesion-vs-adhesive