clickedvsclickerWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: clicked is a verb, clicker is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“clicked” is a verb and “clicker” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,686
“clicked” frequency rank
#46,382
“clicker” frequency rank
60068
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature clicked clicker
Definition simple past and past participle of click The remote-control device used to change settings on a television set, VCR, or other electronic equipment.

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
clicked
7 ch
clicker

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: clicked is /klɪkt/ while clicker is /ˈklɪkə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “clicked” becomes r in “clicker”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60068, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

clicked is recorded at frequency rank #13,686, classified as averb, pronounced /klɪkt/. clicker is at rank #46,382, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈklɪkə/.

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 60068, this pair ranks #102,378 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of clicked vs clicker

Shared letters: ceikl. Private to "clicked": d. Private to "clicker": r.

"clicked" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "clicker" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • clickedcclicked · cilcked · clciked · cliccked · clicekd · clickde · clickedd · clickked
  • clickercclicker · cilcker · clciker · cliccker · clicekr · clickerr · clickker · clickre

Frequency comparison

clicked#13,686
clicker#46,382

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "clicked" and "clicker" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "clicked" is a verb and "clicker" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "clicked" or "clicker"?
"clicked" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,686 in our English list, against #46,382 for "clicker". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering clicked vs clicker

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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