# eclipse vs ellipse

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### eclipse
*noun · IPA /ɪˈklɪps/ · frequency rank #9,462*
An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter.

### ellipse
*noun · IPA /ɪˈlɪps/ · frequency rank #42,625*
A closed curve, the locus of a point such that the sum of the distances from that point to two other fixed points (called the foci of the ellipse) is constant; equivalently, the conic section that is the intersection of a cone with a plane that does not intersect the base of the cone.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/eclipse-vs-ellipse