Which to use
“ago” is a postp and “at” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #365
- “ago” frequency rank
- #21
- “at” frequency rank
- 386
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ago | at |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Before now, before the present time | In, near, or in the general vicinity of (a particular place). |
Where the eye mixes ago and at
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ago and at
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ago is /əˈɡəʊ/ while at is /æt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (postp vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 386, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ago is recorded at frequency rank #365, classified as apostp, pronounced /əˈɡəʊ/. at is at rank #21, tagged as aprep, pronounced /æt/.
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 386, this pair ranks #529,500 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ago vs at
Shared letters: a. Private to "ago": go. Private to "at": t.
"ago" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "at" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ago" and "at" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "ago" or "at" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ago" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "at" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #529,500 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ago" and "at" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ago vs amb". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #529,500 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.