Which to use
“demonstrate” and “demonstrated” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,117
- “demonstrate” frequency rank
- #4,936
- “demonstrated” frequency rank
- 10053
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | demonstrate | demonstrated |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To show how to use (something). | simple past and past participle of demonstrate |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set demonstrate and demonstrated apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
demonstrate and demonstrated 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) - “demonstrate” sits inside “demonstrated” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10053, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
demonstrate is recorded at frequency rank #5,117, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈdɛm.ənˌstɹeɪt/. demonstrated is at rank #4,936, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈdɛmənstɹeɪtɪd/.
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 10053, this pair ranks #494,277 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "demonstrate" and "demonstrated" be used interchangeably?
Remembering demonstrate vs demonstrated
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “demonstrate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable