Which to use
“bankrupt” is an adjective and “bankruptcy” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,654
- “bankrupt” frequency rank
- #5,939
- “bankruptcy” frequency rank
- 16593
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | bankrupt | bankruptcy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay outstanding debts or meet financial obligations; specifically, having been legally declared insolvent. | A legally declared or recognized condition of insolvency of a person or organization. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set bankrupt and bankruptcy apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: bankrupt is /ˈbæŋ.kɹəpt/ while bankruptcy is /ˈbæŋ.kɹʌp(t).si/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “bankrupt” sits inside “bankruptcy”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16593, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
bankrupt is recorded at frequency rank #10,654, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈbæŋ.kɹəpt/. bankruptcy is at rank #5,939, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈbæŋ.kɹʌp(t).si/.
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 16593, this pair ranks #456,782 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of bankrupt vs bankruptcy
Shared letters: abknprtu. Private to "bankrupt": -. Private to "bankruptcy": cy.
"bankrupt" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCC · "bankruptcy" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- bankrupt ← abnkrupt · baknrupt · bankkrupt · bankrput · bankrrupt · bankruppt · bankruptt · bankrutp
- bankruptcy ← abnkruptcy · baknruptcy · bankkruptcy · bankrputcy · bankrruptcy · bankrupcty · bankrupptcy · bankruptccy
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "bankrupt" and "bankruptcy" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "bankrupt" or "bankruptcy"?
Remembering bankrupt vs bankruptcy
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “bankrupt”; for a noun, it's “bankruptcy”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “bankrupt” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable