Which to use
“ear” and “erg” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,425
- “ear” frequency rank
- #48,222
- “erg” frequency rank
- 51647
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ear | erg |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea. | A unit of work or energy, being the amount of work done by a force of one dyne applied through a distance of one centimeter. Equal to 10⁻⁷ joules. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ear and erg apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. ear (/ˈɪə̯/) and erg (/ɜːɡ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51647, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ear is recorded at frequency rank #3,425, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪə̯/. erg is at rank #48,222, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɜːɡ/.
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 51647, this pair ranks #163,726 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ear vs erg
Shared letters: er. Private to "ear": a. Private to "erg": g.
"ear" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "erg" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ear" and "erg" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ear" or "erg"?
Remembering ear vs erg
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 “ear” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable