Which to use
“dongle” is a noun and “double” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,892
- “dongle” frequency rank
- #1,049
- “double” frequency rank
- 46941
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | dongle | double |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any small device that plugs into an electronic device, typically a computer, and alters its functionality. Common examples include wireless modems, digital media players, software copy protect devices, and adapters. | Made up of two matching or complementary elements. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set dongle and double apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
dongle and double form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46941, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
dongle is recorded at frequency rank #45,892, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈdɒŋɡl̩/. double is at rank #1,049, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈdʌb.əl/.
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 46941, this pair ranks #207,064 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "dongle" and "double" be used interchangeably?
Remembering dongle vs double
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “dongle”; for an adjective, it's “double”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “dongle” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable