Which to use
“divert” is a verb and “diverted” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,694
- “divert” frequency rank
- #15,149
- “diverted” frequency rank
- 31843
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | divert | diverted |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To turn aside from a course. | that has been subject to diversion |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set divert and diverted apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: divert is /daɪˈvɜːt/ while diverted is /daɪˈvɜːtəd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “divert” sits inside “diverted”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31843, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
divert is recorded at frequency rank #16,694, classified as averb, pronounced /daɪˈvɜːt/. diverted is at rank #15,149, tagged as anadj, pronounced /daɪˈvɜːtəd/.
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 31843, this pair ranks #342,764 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of divert vs diverted
Shared letters: deirtv. Private to "divert": -. Private to "diverted": -.
"divert" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "diverted" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "divert" and "diverted" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "divert" or "diverted"?
Remembering divert vs diverted
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “divert”; for an adjective, it's “diverted”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “divert” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable