Which to use
“distributed” is a verb and “distributor” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,227
- “distributed” frequency rank
- #11,878
- “distributor” frequency rank
- 16105
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | distributed | distributor |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of distribute | One who or that which distributes. |
Letter map: distributed vs distributor
Shared letters muted; letters that set distributed and distributor apart highlighted. Shared run: 9.
Grammar separator: distributed vs distributor
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: distributed is averb and distributoranoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16105, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
distributed is recorded at frequency rank #4,227, classified as averb, pronounced /dɪsˈtɹɪbjutɪd/. distributor is at rank #11,878, tagged as anoun.
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 16105, this pair ranks #459,879 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of distributed vs distributor
Shared letters: bdirstu. Private to "distributed": e. Private to "distributor": o.
"distributed" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVC · "distributor" · 11 letters · shape CVCCCVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- distributed ← ddistributed · disrtibuted · disstributed · distirbuted · distrbiuted · distribbuted · distribtued · distribuetd
- distributor ← ddistributor · disrtibutor · disstributor · distirbutor · distrbiutor · distribbutor · distribtuor · distribuotr
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "distributed" and "distributor" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "distributed" or "distributor" show up more?
Useful next steps
You've compared "distributed" and "distributor". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "distributed" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "distributor" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #459,879 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "distributed" and "distributor" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "distribute vs distributor". 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 #459,879 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.