# agar vs agave

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### agar
*noun · IPA /ˈeɪ.ɡə/ · frequency rank #28,103*
A gelatinous substance obtained from red algae, especially Gracilaria species, used as a bacterial culture medium, in electrophoresis and as a food additive.

### agave
*noun · IPA /əˈɡɑːveɪ/ · frequency rank #39,671*
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.

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