dazzlevsdazzledWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: dazzle is a verb, dazzled is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“dazzle” is a verb and “dazzled” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#28,166
“dazzle” frequency rank
#36,950
“dazzled” frequency rank
65116
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature dazzle dazzled
Definition To confuse or overpower the sight of (someone or something, such as a sensor) by means of excessive brightness. Experiencing dazzlement; overcome by light or brilliance.

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
dazzle
7 ch
dazzled

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: dazzle is averb and dazzledanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “dazzle” sits inside “dazzled”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65116, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

dazzle is recorded at frequency rank #28,166, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈdæzəl/. dazzled is at rank #36,950, tagged as anadj.

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 65116, this pair ranks #74,343 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of dazzle vs dazzled

Shared letters: adelz. Private to "dazzle": -. Private to "dazzled": -.

"dazzle" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "dazzled" · 7 letters · shape CVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • dazzleadzzle · dazle · dazlze · dazzel · dazzlle · ddazzle · dzazle
  • dazzledadzzled · dazled · dazlzed · dazzeld · dazzlde · dazzledd · dazzlled · ddazzled

Frequency comparison

dazzle#28,166
dazzled#36,950

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "dazzle" and "dazzled" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "dazzle" is a verb and "dazzled" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "dazzle" or "dazzled"?
"dazzle" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,166 in our English list, against #36,950 for "dazzled". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering dazzle vs dazzled

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dazzle”; for an adjective, it's “dazzled”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dazzle” 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