Which to use
“applaud” and “applause” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,751
- “applaud” frequency rank
- #9,136
- “applause” frequency rank
- 24887
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | applaud | applause |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Applause; applauding. | The act of applauding; approbation and praise publicly expressed by the clapping of hands, stamping or tapping of the feet, acclamation, huzzas, or other means; marked commendation. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set applaud and applause apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. applaud (/əˈplɔːd/) and applause (/əˈplɔːz/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24887, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
applaud is recorded at frequency rank #15,751, classified as anoun, pronounced /əˈplɔːd/. applause is at rank #9,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced /əˈplɔːz/.
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 24887, this pair ranks #398,576 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of applaud vs applause
Shared letters: alpu. Private to "applaud": d. Private to "applause": es.
"applaud" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVVC · "applause" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "applaud" and "applause" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "applaud" or "applause"?
Remembering applaud vs applause
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 “applaud” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable