broadcastvsbroadcasterWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#3,673
“broadcast” frequency rank
#12,379
“broadcaster” frequency rank
16052
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature broadcast broadcaster
Definition Cast or scattered widely in all directions; cast abroad. A machine used to broadcast or spread seeds, fertilizer, etc.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set broadcast and broadcaster apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
broadcast
11 ch
broadcaster

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: broadcast is /ˈbɹɔːdkɑːst/ while broadcaster is /ˈbɹɔdˌkæstɚ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “broadcast” sits inside “broadcaster”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16052, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

broadcast is recorded at frequency rank #3,673, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈbɹɔːdkɑːst/. broadcaster is at rank #12,379, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈbɹɔdˌkæstɚ/.

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 16052, this pair ranks #460,239 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of broadcast vs broadcaster

Shared letters: abcdorst. Private to "broadcast": -. Private to "broadcaster": e.

"broadcast" · 9 letters · shape CCVVCCVCC  ·  "broadcaster" · 11 letters · shape CCVVCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • broadcastbbroadcast · boradcast · braodcast · broacdast · broadacst · broadcasst · broadcastt · broadcats
  • broadcasterbbroadcaster · boradcaster · braodcaster · broacdaster · broadacster · broadcasetr · broadcasster · broadcasterr

Frequency comparison

broadcast#3,673
broadcaster#12,379

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "broadcast" and "broadcaster" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "broadcast" is an adjective and "broadcaster" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "broadcast" or "broadcaster"?
"broadcast" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,673 in our English list, against #12,379 for "broadcaster". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering broadcast vs broadcaster

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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