Which to use
“commute” is a verb and “computer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,687
- “commute” frequency rank
- #1,136
- “computer” frequency rank
- 14823
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | commute | computer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To exchange substantially; to abate but not abolish completely, a penalty, obligation, or payment in return for a great, single thing or an aggregate; to cash in; to lessen | A programmable electronic device that performs mathematical calculations and logical operations, especially one that can process, store and retrieve large amounts of data very quickly; now especially, a small one for personal or home use employed for manipulating text or graphics, accessing the Internet, or playing games or media. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set commute and computer apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
commute and computer 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14823, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
commute is recorded at frequency rank #13,687, classified as averb, pronounced /kəˈmjuːt/. computer is at rank #1,136, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kəmˈpjuːtə/.
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 14823, this pair ranks #467,722 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "commute" and "computer" be used interchangeably?
Remembering commute vs computer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “commute”; for a noun, it's “computer”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “commute” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable