Which to use
“are” and “av” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #19
- “are” frequency rank
- #12,373
- “av” frequency rank
- 12392
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | are | av |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | second-person singular simple present of be | have |
Letter map: are vs av
Shared letters muted; letters that set are and av apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Corpus notes: are and av
are and av are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12392, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
are is recorded at frequency rank #19, classified as averb, pronounced /ə(ɹ)/. av is at rank #12,373, tagged as averb.
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 12392, this pair ranks #481,834 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of are vs av
Shared letters: a. Private to "are": er. Private to "av": v.
"are" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "av" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "are" for "av" ever safe?
Frequency check: "are" vs "av" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "are" and "av".
- Full dictionary entry for "are" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "av" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #481,834 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "are" and "av" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "amb vs av". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #481,834 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.