Which to use
“agape” is an adjective and “agave” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,043
- “agape” frequency rank
- #39,671
- “agave” frequency rank
- 83714
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | agape | agave |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In a state of astonishment, wonder, expectation, or eager attention; as with mouth hanging open. | 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 agape and agave apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: agape is /əˈɡeɪp/ while agave is /əˈɡɑːveɪ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - p in “agape” becomes v in “agave”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 83714, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
agape is recorded at frequency rank #44,043, classified as anadj, pronounced /əˈɡeɪp/. 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 83714, this pair ranks #13,301 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of agape vs agave
Shared letters: aeg. Private to "agape": p. Private to "agave": v.
"agape" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "agave" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "agape" and "agave" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "agape" or "agave"?
Remembering agape vs agave
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “agape”; for a noun, it's “agave”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “agape” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable