appendvsappendixWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: append is a verb, appendix is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“append” is a verb and “appendix” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#44,616
“append” frequency rank
#14,692
“appendix” frequency rank
59308
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature append appendix
Definition To hang or attach to, as by a string, so that the thing is suspended Something attached to something else; an attachment or accompaniment.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set append and appendix apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
append
8 ch
appendix

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

append and appendix form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “append” sits inside “appendix” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59308, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

append is recorded at frequency rank #44,616, classified as averb, pronounced /ʌˈpɛnd/. appendix is at rank #14,692, tagged as anoun, pronounced /əˈpɛn.dɪks/.

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 59308, this pair ranks #107,064 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

append#44,616
appendix#14,692

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "append" and "appendix" be used interchangeably?
No, "append" and "appendix" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering append vs appendix

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “append”; for a noun, it's “appendix”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “append” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list