Which to use
“dismiss” is a verb and “dismissal” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,922
- “dismiss” frequency rank
- #10,841
- “dismissal” frequency rank
- 19763
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dismiss | dismissal |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To discharge; to end the employment or service of. | The act of sending someone away. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dismiss and dismissal apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: dismiss is /dɪsˈmɪs/ while dismissal is [dɪsˈmɪsəɫ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “dismiss” sits inside “dismissal”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19763, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dismiss is recorded at frequency rank #8,922, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪsˈmɪs/. dismissal is at rank #10,841, tagged as anoun, pronounced [dɪsˈmɪsəɫ].
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 19763, this pair ranks #435,908 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of dismiss vs dismissal
Shared letters: dims. Private to "dismiss": -. Private to "dismissal": al.
"dismiss" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC · "dismissal" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dismiss" and "dismissal" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "dismiss" or "dismissal"?
Remembering dismiss vs dismissal
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “dismiss”; for a noun, it's “dismissal”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dismiss” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable