Which to use
“ake” is a verb and “askew” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,292
- “ake” frequency rank
- #40,561
- “askew” frequency rank
- 86853
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ake | askew |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Obsolete spelling of ache. | Turned or twisted to one side. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ake and askew apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ake is /eɪk/ while askew is /əˈskju/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86853, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ake is recorded at frequency rank #46,292, classified as averb, pronounced /eɪk/. askew is at rank #40,561, tagged as anadj, pronounced /əˈskju/.
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 86853, this pair ranks #8,389 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ake vs askew
Shared letters: aek. Private to "ake": -. Private to "askew": sw.
"ake" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "askew" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- askew ← aksew · asekw · askeww · askkew · askwe · asskew · sakew
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ake" and "askew" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ake" or "askew"?
Remembering ake vs askew
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ake”; for an adjective, it's “askew”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ake” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable