Which to use
“cost” and “cut” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #568
- “cost” frequency rank
- #569
- “cut” frequency rank
- 1137
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | cost | cut |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To incur a charge of; to require payment of a (specified) price. | To incise, to cut into the surface of something. |
Where the eye mixes cost and cut
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between cost and cut
A purely visual mix-up. cost (/ˈkɒst/) and cut (/kʌt/) 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 1137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
cost is recorded at frequency rank #568, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈkɒst/. cut is at rank #569, tagged as averb, pronounced /kʌt/.
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 1137, this pair ranks #528,022 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of cost vs cut
Shared letters: ct. Private to "cost": os. Private to "cut": u.
"cost" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "cut" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- cost ← ccost · cosst · costt · cots · csot · ocst
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "cost" and "cut" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "cost" vs "cut" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "cost" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "cut" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #528,022 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "cost" and "cut" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "cost vs Croat". 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 #528,022 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.