Which to use
“asymmetric” is an adjective and “asymmetry” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,087
- “asymmetric” frequency rank
- #33,520
- “asymmetry” frequency rank
- 57607
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | asymmetric | asymmetry |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Not symmetric. | An absence of symmetry or proportion between the parts of a thing, or a distinction that produces such a lack of symmetry. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set asymmetric and asymmetry apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
asymmetric and asymmetry 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57607, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
asymmetric is recorded at frequency rank #24,087, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˌeɪ.səˈmɛt.ɹɪk/. asymmetry is at rank #33,520, tagged as anoun, pronounced /eɪˈsɪmɪtɹi/.
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 57607, this pair ranks #118,195 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "asymmetric" and "asymmetry" be used interchangeably?
Remembering asymmetric vs asymmetry
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “asymmetric”; for a noun, it's “asymmetry”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “asymmetric” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable