Which to use
“amiss” is an adjective and “amuse” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,430
- “amiss” frequency rank
- #24,652
- “amuse” frequency rank
- 56082
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | amiss | amuse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Wrong; faulty; out of order; improper or otherwise incorrect. | To entertain or occupy (someone or something) in a pleasant manner; to stir (someone) with pleasing emotions. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set amiss and amuse apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
amiss and amuse 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 56082, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
amiss is recorded at frequency rank #31,430, classified as anadj, pronounced /əˈmɪs/. amuse is at rank #24,652, tagged as averb, pronounced /əˈmjuːz/.
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 56082, this pair ranks #128,844 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "amiss" and "amuse" be used interchangeably?
Remembering amiss vs amuse
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “amiss”; for a verb, it's “amuse”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “amiss” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable