corsetvscovetWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: corset is a noun, covet is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“corset” is a noun and “covet” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#27,790
“corset” frequency rank
#36,095
“covet” frequency rank
63885
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature corset covet
Definition A woman's foundation garment, reinforced with stays, that supports the waistline, hips and bust. To wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set corset and covet apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
corset
5 ch
covet

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: corset is /ˈkɔː(ɹ).sɪt/ while covet is /ˈkʌvɪt/. 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 63885, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

corset is recorded at frequency rank #27,790, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɔː(ɹ).sɪt/. covet is at rank #36,095, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈkʌvɪt/.

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 63885, this pair ranks #80,583 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of corset vs covet

Shared letters: ceot. Private to "corset": rs. Private to "covet": v.

"corset" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "covet" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • corsetccorset · corest · corrset · corsett · corsset · corste · cosret · croset
  • covetccovet · coevt · covett · covte · covvet · cvoet · ocvet

Frequency comparison

corset#27,790
covet#36,095

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "corset" and "covet" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "corset" is a noun and "covet" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "corset" or "covet"?
"corset" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,790 in our English list, against #36,095 for "covet". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering corset vs covet

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “corset”; for a verb, it's “covet”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “corset” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list