Which to use
“amok” is an adverb and “among” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #38,278
- “amok” frequency rank
- #486
- “among” frequency rank
- 38764
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | amok | among |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Out of control, especially when armed and dangerous. | Of a person or thing: in the midst of and surrounded by (other people or things). |
Where the eye mixes amok and among
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between amok and among
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: amok is /əˈmɒk/ while among is /əˈmʌŋ/. 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 preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38764, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
amok is recorded at frequency rank #38,278, classified as anadv, pronounced /əˈmɒk/. among is at rank #486, tagged as aprep, pronounced /əˈmʌŋ/.
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 38764, this pair ranks #282,985 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of amok vs among
Shared letters: amo. Private to "amok": k. Private to "among": gn.
"amok" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "among" · 5 letters · shape VCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "amok" and "among" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "amok" or "among" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "amok" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "among" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #282,985 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "amok" and "among" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "amb vs amok". 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 #282,985 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.