denotevsdentedWhich spelling fits?

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

Which to use

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

#19,811
“denote” frequency rank
#38,361
“dented” frequency rank
58172
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature denote dented
Definition To indicate; to mark. Having teeth of a specified colour.

Letter map: denote vs dented

Shared letters muted; letters that set denote and dented apart highlighted. Shared run: 5. denote (CVCVCV) and dented (CVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

6 ch
denote
6 ch
dented

Grammar separator: denote vs dented

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: denote is averb and dentedanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58172, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

denote is recorded at frequency rank #19,811, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈnəʊt/. dented is at rank #38,361, 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 58172, this pair ranks #114,398 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of denote vs dented

Shared letters: dent. Private to "denote": o. Private to "dented": -.

"denote" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "dented" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • denote ← ddenote · dennote · denoet · denotte · dentoe · deonte · dneote · ednote
  • dented ← ddented · denetd · dennted · dentde · dentedd · dentted · detned · dneted

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "denote" and "dented" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "denote" is a verb and "dented" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "denote" or "dented"?
"denote" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #19,811 in our English list, against #38,361 for "dented". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pair "denote" vs "dented" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.

  • Full dictionary entry for "denote" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "dented" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #114,398 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "denote" and "dented" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "darted vs dented". 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 #114,398 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list