Which to use
“concern” is a noun and “confer” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,195
- “concern” frequency rank
- #22,625
- “confer” frequency rank
- 24820
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | concern | confer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | That which affects one’s welfare or happiness. A matter of interest to someone. | To grant as a possession; to bestow. |
Where the eye mixes concern and confer
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses concern with confer
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: concern is /kənˈsɝn/ while confer is /kənˈfʌɹ/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24820, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
concern is recorded at frequency rank #2,195, classified as anoun, pronounced /kənˈsɝn/. confer is at rank #22,625, tagged as averb, pronounced /kənˈfʌɹ/.
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 24820, this pair ranks #399,078 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of concern vs confer
Shared letters: cenor. Private to "concern": -. Private to "confer": f.
"concern" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "confer" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "concern" and "confer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "concern" or "confer"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "concern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "confer" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #399,078 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "concern" and "confer" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "confer vs cower". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #399,078 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.