balancedvsBalancesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: balanced is a verb, Balances is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“balanced” is a verb and “Balances” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,292
“balanced” frequency rank
#12,546
“Balances” frequency rank
17838
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature balanced Balances
Definition simple past and past participle of balance The constellation and zodiacal sign Libra.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
balanced
8 ch
Balances

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: balanced is averb and Balancesaname. On the page they differ by a single letter - d in “balanced” becomes s in “Balances”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 17838, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

balanced is recorded at frequency rank #5,292, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈbælənst/. Balances is at rank #12,546, tagged as aname.

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 17838, this pair ranks #448,809 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of balanced vs Balances

Shared letters: abceln. Private to "balanced": d. Private to "Balances": s.

"balanced" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC  ·  "Balances" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • balancedablanced · baalnced · balacned · balancced · balancde · balancedd · balanecd · balannced
  • Balancesablances · baalnces · balacnes · balancces · balancess · balancse · balanecs · balannces

Frequency comparison

balanced#5,292
Balances#12,546

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "balanced" and "Balances" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "balanced" is a verb and "Balances" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "balanced" or "Balances"?
"balanced" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,292 in our English list, against #12,546 for "Balances". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering balanced vs Balances

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “balanced”; for a name, it's “Balances”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “balanced” 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