Which to use
“controversial” is an adjective and “controversies” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,842
- “controversial” frequency rank
- #17,110
- “controversies” frequency rank
- 21952
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | controversial | controversies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Arousing or likely to arouse controversy. | plural of controversy |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set controversial and controversies apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: controversial is /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvɜː.ʃəl/ while controversies is /ˈkɒn.tɹəˌvɜːsiz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21952, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
controversial is recorded at frequency rank #4,842, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˌkɒn.tɹəˈvɜː.ʃəl/. controversies is at rank #17,110, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɒn.tɹəˌvɜːsiz/.
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 21952, this pair ranks #420,152 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of controversial vs controversies
Shared letters: ceinorstv. Private to "controversial": al. Private to "controversies": -.
"controversial" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVVC · "controversies" · 13 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- controversial ← ccontroversial · cnotroversial · conntroversial · conrtoversial · contorversial · controevrsial · controverisal · controverrsial
- controversies ← ccontroversies · cnotroversies · conntroversies · conrtoversies · contorversies · controevrsies · controverises · controverrsies
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "controversial" and "controversies" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "controversial" or "controversies"?
Remembering controversial vs controversies
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “controversial”; for a noun, it's “controversies”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “controversial” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable