convictvsconvinceTell them apart

Which to use

“convict” and “convince” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#13,693
“convict” frequency rank
#4,592
“convince” frequency rank
18285
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature convict convince
Definition To find guilty, as a result of legal proceedings, or (informal) in a moral sense. To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence.

Where the eye mixes convict and convince

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

7 ch
convict
8 ch
convince

Visual trap between convict and convince

A purely visual mix-up. convict (/kənˈvɪkt/) and convince (/kənˈvɪns/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18285, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

convict is recorded at frequency rank #13,693, classified as averb, pronounced /kənˈvɪkt/. convince is at rank #4,592, tagged as averb, pronounced /kənˈvɪns/.

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 18285, this pair ranks #445,905 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of convict vs convince

Shared letters: cinov. Private to "convict": t. Private to "convince": e.

"convict" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC  ·  "convince" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • convictcconvict · cnovict · conivct · connvict · convcit · convicct · convictt · convitc
  • convincecconvince · cnovince · conivnce · connvince · convicne · convincce · convinec · convinnce

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "convict" and "convince" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/kənˈvɪkt/ versus /kənˈvɪns/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "convict" vs "convince" - which ranks higher?
"convince" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,592 in our English list, against #13,693 for "convict". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "convict" and "convince" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "convict" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "convince" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #445,905 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "convict" and "convince" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "confine vs convince". 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 #445,905 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list