Which to use
“anger” and “auger” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,466
- “anger” frequency rank
- #38,293
- “auger” frequency rank
- 41759
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | anger | auger |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A strong and unpleasant feeling of displeasure, hostility, or antagonism, usually combined with an urge to yell, curse, damage or destroy things, or harm living beings, often stemming from perceived provocation, hurt, threat, insults, unfair or unjust treatment, or an undesired situation. | A carpenter's tool for boring holes longer than those bored by a gimlet. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set anger and auger apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. anger (/ˈæ̞ŋɡə/) and auger (/ˈɔː.ɡə(ɹ)/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - n in “anger” becomes u in “auger”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41759, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
anger is recorded at frequency rank #3,466, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈæ̞ŋɡə/. auger is at rank #38,293, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɔː.ɡə(ɹ)/.
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 41759, this pair ranks #255,400 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of anger vs auger
Shared letters: aegr. Private to "anger": n. Private to "auger": u.
"anger" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC · "auger" · 5 letters · shape VVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "anger" and "auger" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "anger" or "auger"?
Remembering anger vs auger
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “anger” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable