Which to use
“arse” is a noun and “averse” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,462
- “arse” frequency rank
- #26,688
- “averse” frequency rank
- 40150
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | arse | averse |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A person's buttocks; the bottom, the backside. Also: the anus; the rectum. | Having a repugnance or opposition of mind. |
Where the eye mixes arse and averse
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between arse and averse
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: arse is /ɑːs/ while averse is /əˈvɜː(ɹ)s/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40150, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
arse is recorded at frequency rank #13,462, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɑːs/. averse is at rank #26,688, tagged as anadj, pronounced /əˈvɜː(ɹ)s/.
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 40150, this pair ranks #270,198 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of arse vs averse
Shared letters: aers. Private to "arse": -. Private to "averse": v.
"arse" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "averse" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "arse" and "averse" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "arse" or "averse" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "arse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "averse" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #270,198 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "arse" and "averse" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "arco vs arse". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #270,198 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.