Which to use
“derive” is a verb and “derived” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,737
- “derive” frequency rank
- #4,366
- “derived” frequency rank
- 19103
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | derive | derived |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To obtain or receive (something) from something else. | Of, or pertaining to, conditions unique to the descendant species of a clade, and not found in earlier ancestral species. |
Where the eye mixes derive and derived
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses derive with derived
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: derive is /dɪˈɹaɪv/ while derived is /dɪˈɹaɪvd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “derive” sits inside “derived”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19103, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
derive is recorded at frequency rank #14,737, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪˈɹaɪv/. derived is at rank #4,366, tagged as anadj, pronounced /dɪˈɹaɪvd/.
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 19103, this pair ranks #440,496 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of derive vs derived
Shared letters: deirv. Private to "derive": -. Private to "derived": -.
"derive" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "derived" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "derive" and "derived" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "derive" vs "derived" - which ranks higher?
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 "derive" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "derived" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #440,496 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "derive" and "derived" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "defile vs derive". 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 #440,496 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.