Which to use
“arrest” is a noun and “attest” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,713
- “arrest” frequency rank
- #20,842
- “attest” frequency rank
- 23555
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arrest | attest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A check; a stop; an act or instance of arresting something. | To affirm to be correct, true, or genuine. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set arrest and attest apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: arrest is /əˈɹɛst/ while attest is /əˈtɛst/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23555, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arrest is recorded at frequency rank #2,713, classified as anoun, pronounced /əˈɹɛst/. attest is at rank #20,842, tagged as averb, pronounced /əˈtɛst/.
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 23555, this pair ranks #408,462 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of arrest vs attest
Shared letters: aest. Private to "arrest": r. Private to "attest": -.
"arrest" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC · "attest" · 6 letters · shape VCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "arrest" and "attest" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "arrest" or "attest"?
Remembering arrest vs attest
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “arrest”; for a verb, it's “attest”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “arrest” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable