Which to use
“ajar” is an adverb and “alarm” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,584
- “ajar” frequency rank
- #4,426
- “alarm” frequency rank
- 53010
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ajar | alarm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Slightly turned or opened. | A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. |
Where the eye mixes ajar and alarm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. ajar runs 4 letters (VCVC) against alarm's 5 (VCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses ajar with alarm
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ajar is /əˈd͡ʒɑː/ while alarm is /əˈlɑːm/. 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 (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53010, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ajar is recorded at frequency rank #48,584, classified as anadv, pronounced /əˈd͡ʒɑː/. alarm is at rank #4,426, tagged as anoun, pronounced /əˈlɑːm/.
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 53010, this pair ranks #152,409 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ajar vs alarm
Shared letters: ar. Private to "ajar": j. Private to "alarm": lm.
"ajar" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "alarm" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ajar" for "alarm" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ajar" or "alarm"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ajar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "alarm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #152,409 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ajar" and "alarm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ajar vs Amari". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #152,409 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.