Which to use
“dependence” and “dependency” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,867
- “dependence” frequency rank
- #14,509
- “dependency” frequency rank
- 26376
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dependence | dependency |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The state of being dependent, of relying upon another. | A state of dependence; a refusal to exercise initiative. |
Where the eye mixes dependence and dependency
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between dependence and dependency
A purely visual mix-up. dependence (/dɪˈpɛndəns/) and dependency (/dɪˈpɛndənsi/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - e in “dependence” becomes y in “dependency”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26376, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dependence is recorded at frequency rank #11,867, classified as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈpɛndəns/. dependency is at rank #14,509, tagged as anoun, pronounced /dɪˈpɛndənsi/.
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 26376, this pair ranks #387,160 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of dependence vs dependency
Shared letters: cdenp. Private to "dependence": -. Private to "dependency": y.
"dependence" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV · "dependency" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- dependence ← ddependence · deepndence · depednence · dependance · dependdence · dependecne · dependencce · dependenec
- dependency ← ddependency · deepndency · depednency · dependdency · dependecny · dependenccy · dependencyy · dependenncy
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dependence" and "dependency" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "dependence" or "dependency" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "dependence" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "dependency" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #387,160 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "dependence" and "dependency" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "dependency vs dependent". 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 #387,160 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.