blockedvsblockerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: blocked is a adjective, blocker is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“blocked” is an adjective and “blocker” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,214
“blocked” frequency rank
#22,302
“blocker” frequency rank
26516
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature blocked blocker
Definition Obstructed, so that through movement or flow is prevented or impeded. Agent noun of block (“obstruct or prevent”); something that blocks something else.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set blocked and blocker apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
blocked
7 ch
blocker

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

blocked and blocker 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 a single letter - d in “blocked” becomes r in “blocker” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26516, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

blocked is recorded at frequency rank #4,214, classified as anadj, pronounced /blɑkt/. blocker is at rank #22,302, tagged as anoun.

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 26516, this pair ranks #386,117 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

blocked#4,214
blocker#22,302

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "blocked" and "blocker" be used interchangeably?
No, "blocked" and "blocker" 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 blocked vs blocker

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “blocked”; for a noun, it's “blocker”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “blocked” 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