Which to use
“consulate” is a noun and “consulted” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,691
- “consulate” frequency rank
- #12,395
- “consulted” frequency rank
- 26086
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | consulate | consulted |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Rule by consuls, as during most periods of the Roman Republic or in France between 1799 and 1804. | simple past and past participle of consult |
Where the eye mixes consulate and consulted
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between consulate and consulted
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: consulate is /ˈkɒnsjʊlət/ while consulted is /kənˈsʌltɪd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26086, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
consulate is recorded at frequency rank #13,691, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɒnsjʊlət/. consulted is at rank #12,395, tagged as averb, pronounced /kənˈsʌltɪd/.
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 26086, this pair ranks #389,315 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of consulate vs consulted
Shared letters: celnostu. Private to "consulate": a. Private to "consulted": d.
"consulate" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV · "consulted" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "consulate" for "consulted" ever safe?
Frequency check: "consulate" vs "consulted" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "consulate" and "consulted" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "consulate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "consulted" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #389,315 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "consulate" and "consulted" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "conjugate vs consulate". 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 #389,315 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.