Which to use
“catty” is an adjective and “cavity” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #49,246
- “catty” frequency rank
- #12,740
- “cavity” frequency rank
- 61986
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | catty | cavity |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | With subtle hostility in an effort to hurt, annoy, or upset, particularly among women. | A hole or hollow depression in a solid object. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set catty and cavity apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: catty is /ˈkæti/ while cavity is /ˈkæv.ɪt.i/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61986, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
catty is recorded at frequency rank #49,246, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈkæti/. cavity is at rank #12,740, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkæv.ɪt.i/.
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 61986, this pair ranks #91,018 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of catty vs cavity
Shared letters: acty. Private to "catty": -. Private to "cavity": iv.
"catty" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "cavity" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "catty" and "cavity" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "catty" or "cavity"?
Remembering catty vs cavity
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “catty”; for a noun, it's “cavity”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “catty” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable