Which to use
“deaf” and “deep” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,214
- “deaf” frequency rank
- #945
- “deep” frequency rank
- 8159
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | deaf | deep |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Unable (or partially able) to hear. | Extending, reaching or positioned far from a point of reference, especially downwards. |
Where the eye mixes deaf and deep
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. deaf (/dɛf/) and deep (/diːp/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
deaf is recorded at frequency rank #7,214, classified as anadj, pronounced /dɛf/. deep is at rank #945, tagged as anadj, pronounced /diːp/.
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 8159, this pair ranks #503,871 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of deaf vs deep
Shared letters: de. Private to "deaf": af. Private to "deep": p.
"deaf" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "deep" · 4 letters · shape CVVC