Which to use
“consisted” is a verb and “consists” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,133
- “consisted” frequency rank
- #3,679
- “consists” frequency rank
- 11812
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | consisted | consists |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of consist | plural of consist |
Where the eye mixes consisted and consists
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between consisted and consists
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: consisted is /kənˈsɪstɪd/ while consists is /kənˈsɪsts/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11812, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
consisted is recorded at frequency rank #8,133, classified as averb, pronounced /kənˈsɪstɪd/. consists is at rank #3,679, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kənˈsɪsts/.
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 11812, this pair ranks #485,000 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of consisted vs consists
Shared letters: cinost. Private to "consisted": de. Private to "consists": -.
"consisted" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC · "consists" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "consisted" for "consists" ever safe?
Frequency check: "consisted" vs "consists" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "consisted" and "consists" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "consisted" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "consists" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #485,000 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "consisted" and "consists" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "consented vs consisted". 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 #485,000 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.