Which to use
“age” is a noun and “ake” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #475
- “age” frequency rank
- #46,292
- “ake” frequency rank
- 46767
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | age | ake |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The amount of time that some being has been alive, or that some thing has been in existence, as measured from its birth or origin until the present or until some other given reference point. (Often measured in number of years; alternatively in months, days, hours, etc.; see also the usage notes) | Obsolete spelling of ache. |
Where the eye mixes age and ake
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between age and ake
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: age is /eɪd͡ʒ/ while ake is /eɪk/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - g in “age” becomes k in “ake”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46767, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
age is recorded at frequency rank #475, classified as anoun, pronounced /eɪd͡ʒ/. ake is at rank #46,292, tagged as averb, pronounced /eɪk/.
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 46767, this pair ranks #208,666 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of age vs ake
Shared letters: ae. Private to "age": g. Private to "ake": k.
"age" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ake" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "age" for "ake" ever safe?
Which is more common, "age" or "ake"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "age" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ake" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #208,666 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "age" and "ake" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ake vs amb". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #208,666 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.