augmentvsaugmentedWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: augment is a verb, augmented is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“augment” is a verb and “augmented” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,577
“augment” frequency rank
#14,887
“augmented” frequency rank
37464
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature augment augmented
Definition To increase; to make larger or supplement. Increased in number, amount or strength.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set augment and augmented apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
augment
9 ch
augmented

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

augment and augmented 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 2 extra letter(s) - “augment” sits inside “augmented” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37464, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

augment is recorded at frequency rank #22,577, classified as averb, pronounced /ɔːɡˈmɛnt/. augmented is at rank #14,887, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɔːɡˈmɛntɪd/.

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 37464, this pair ranks #294,381 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

augment#22,577
augmented#14,887

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "augment" and "augmented" be used interchangeably?
No, "augment" and "augmented" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering augment vs augmented

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “augment”; for an adjective, it's “augmented”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “augment” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list