# adolescence vs adolescent

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### adolescence
*noun · IPA /ˌædəˈlɛsəns/ · frequency rank #18,003*
The transitional period of physical and psychological development between childhood and maturity, beginning at the onset of puberty and with an endpoint defined either legally (at the age of majority, such as 18 in many jurisdictions) or psychocognitively (at various ages, depending on individual experience).

### adolescent
*adjective · IPA /ˌæd.əˈlɛs.ənt/ · frequency rank #13,277*
Of, relating to, or at the age of adolescence; at the stage between being a child and an adult.

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