creditvscreditsWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#1,072
“credit” frequency rank
#4,519
“credits” frequency rank
5591
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature credit credits
Definition To believe; to put credence in. plural of credit

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set credit and credits apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
credit
7 ch
credits

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

credit and credits form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “credit” sits inside “credits” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5591, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

credit is recorded at frequency rank #1,072, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈkɹɛdɪt/. credits is at rank #4,519, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈkɹɛdɪts/.

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 5591, this pair ranks #514,732 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

credit#1,072
credits#4,519

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "credit" and "credits" be used interchangeably?
No, "credit" and "credits" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering credit vs credits

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “credit”; for a noun, it's “credits”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “credit” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list