Which to use
“aw” is an intj and “awed” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,760
- “aw” frequency rank
- #45,213
- “awed” frequency rank
- 50973
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | aw | awed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Used to express disappointment or dismay. | simple past and past participle of awe |
Where the eye mixes aw and awed
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: aw vs awed
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: aw is /ɔː/ while awed is /ɔːd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “aw” sits inside “awed”, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50973, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
aw is recorded at frequency rank #5,760, classified as anintj, pronounced /ɔː/. awed is at rank #45,213, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɔːd/.
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 50973, this pair ranks #169,483 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of aw vs awed
Shared letters: aw. Private to "aw": -. Private to "awed": de.
"aw" · 2 letters · shape VC · "awed" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- awed ← aewd · awedd · awwed
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "aw" for "awed" ever safe?
Frequency check: "aw" vs "awed" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "aw" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "awed" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #169,483 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "aw" and "awed" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ake vs awed". 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 #169,483 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.