Which to use
“agate” is a noun and “agile” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #36,422
- “agate” frequency rank
- #16,839
- “agile” frequency rank
- 53261
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | agate | agile |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A semitransparent, uncrystallized silicate mineral and semiprecious stone, presenting various tints in the same specimen, with colors delicately arranged and often curved in parallel alternating dark and light stripes or bands, or blended in clouds; various authorities call it a variety of chalcedony, a variety of quartz, or a combination of the two. | Having the faculty of quick motion in the limbs; apt or ready to move; loose-jointed. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set agate and agile apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
agate and agile form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53261, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
agate is recorded at frequency rank #36,422, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈæɡ.ɪt/. agile is at rank #16,839, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈæd͡ʒ.aɪl/.
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 53261, this pair ranks #150,416 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "agate" and "agile" be used interchangeably?
Remembering agate vs agile
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “agate”; for an adjective, it's “agile”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “agate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable