digestvsdisgustWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“digest” and “disgust” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#11,018
“digest” frequency rank
#12,755
“disgust” frequency rank
23773
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature digest disgust
Definition To distribute or arrange methodically; to work over and classify; to reduce to portions for ready use or application. To cause an intense dislike for something.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set digest and disgust apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
digest
7 ch
disgust

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. digest (/daɪˈd͡ʒɛst/) and disgust (/dɪsˈɡʌst/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23773, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

digest is recorded at frequency rank #11,018, classified as averb, pronounced /daɪˈd͡ʒɛst/. disgust is at rank #12,755, tagged as averb, pronounced /dɪsˈɡʌst/.

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 23773, this pair ranks #406,889 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of digest vs disgust

Shared letters: dgist. Private to "digest": e. Private to "disgust": u.

"digest" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "disgust" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • digestddigest · dgiest · diegst · digesst · digestt · digets · diggest · digset
  • disgustddisgust · digsust · disggust · disgsut · disgusst · disgustt · disguts · dissgust

Frequency comparison

digest#11,018
disgust#12,755

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "digest" and "disgust" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/daɪˈd͡ʒɛst/ versus /dɪsˈɡʌst/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "digest" or "disgust"?
"digest" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,018 in our English list, against #12,755 for "disgust". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering digest vs disgust

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 “digest” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list