Which to use
“degrade” is a verb and “degree” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,089
- “degrade” frequency rank
- #1,217
- “degree” frequency rank
- 21306
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | degrade | degree |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To lower in value or social position. | A stage of proficiency or qualification in a course of study, now especially an award bestowed by a university/college, as a certification of academic achievement. (In the United States, can include secondary schools.) |
Where the eye mixes degrade and degree
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between degrade and degree
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: degrade is /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/ while degree is /dɪˈɡɹiː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21306, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
degrade is recorded at frequency rank #20,089, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈɡɹeɪd/. degree is at rank #1,217, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈɡɹiː/.
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 21306, this pair ranks #424,842 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of degrade vs degree
Shared letters: degr. Private to "degrade": a. Private to "degree": -.
"degrade" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "degree" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "degrade" for "degree" ever safe?
Frequency check: "degrade" vs "degree" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "degrade" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "degree" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #424,842 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "degrade" and "degree" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "degrade vs degraded". 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 #424,842 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.