# antiviral vs antivirus

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### antiviral
*adjective · IPA /æntiˈvaɪɹəl/ · frequency rank #35,610*
Inhibiting the growth and reproduction of a virus.

### antivirus
*noun · IPA /ˈantɪvʌɪrəs/ · frequency rank #32,676*
A piece of software that is used to detect, delete and or neutralize computer-based viruses.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/antiviral-vs-antivirus