Which to use
“coven” is a noun and “covet” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,883
- “coven” frequency rank
- #36,095
- “covet” frequency rank
- 64978
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | coven | covet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A nunnery, a convent | To wish for with eagerness; to desire possession of, often enviously. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set coven and covet apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: coven is /ˈkʌv.ən/ while covet is /ˈkʌvɪt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “coven” becomes t in “covet”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64978, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
coven is recorded at frequency rank #28,883, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈkʌv.ən/. 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 64978, this pair ranks #75,041 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of coven vs covet
Shared letters: ceov. Private to "coven": n. Private to "covet": t.
"coven" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "covet" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "coven" and "covet" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "coven" or "covet"?
Remembering coven vs covet
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “coven”; for a verb, it's “covet”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “coven” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable