Which to use
“embrace” and “embraced” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,494
- “embrace” frequency rank
- #10,359
- “embraced” frequency rank
- 15853
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | embrace | embraced |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug. | simple past and past participle of embrace |
Where the eye mixes embrace and embraced
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. embrace runs 7 letters (VCCCVCV) against embraced's 8 (VCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between embrace and embraced
A purely visual mix-up. embrace (/ɛmˈbɹes/) and embraced (/ɪmˈbɹeɪst/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “embrace” sits inside “embraced”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15853, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
embrace is recorded at frequency rank #5,494, classified as averb, pronounced /ɛmˈbɹes/. embraced is at rank #10,359, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪmˈbɹeɪst/.
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 15853, this pair ranks #461,375 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of embrace vs embraced
Shared letters: abcemr. Private to "embrace": -. Private to "embraced": d.
"embrace" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV · "embraced" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "embrace" and "embraced" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "embrace" vs "embraced" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "embrace" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "embraced" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #461,375 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "embrace" and "embraced" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "embrace vs emirate". 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 #461,375 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.