Which to use
“averse” and “averted” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,688
- “averse” frequency rank
- #26,335
- “averted” frequency rank
- 53023
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | averse | averted |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Having a repugnance or opposition of mind. | Turned away, especially as an expression of feeling. |
Where the eye mixes averse and averted
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. averse runs 6 letters (VCVCCV) against averted's 7 (VCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: averse vs averted
A purely visual mix-up. averse (/əˈvɜː(ɹ)s/) and averted (/əˈvɝtɪd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53023, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
averse is recorded at frequency rank #26,688, classified as anadj, pronounced /əˈvɜː(ɹ)s/. averted is at rank #26,335, tagged as anadj, pronounced /əˈvɝtɪd/.
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 53023, this pair ranks #152,296 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of averse vs averted
Shared letters: aerv. Private to "averse": s. Private to "averted": dt.
"averse" · 6 letters · shape VCVCCV · "averted" · 7 letters · shape VCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "averse" and "averted" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "averse" or "averted"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "averse" and "averted" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "averse" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "averted" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #152,296 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "averse" and "averted" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "abetted vs averted". 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 #152,296 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.