Which to use
“embrace” is a verb and “embraces” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,494
- “embrace” frequency rank
- #18,299
- “embraces” frequency rank
- 23793
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | embrace | embraces |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug. | plural of embrace |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set embrace and embraces apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: embrace is /ɛmˈbɹes/ while embraces is /ɛmˈbɹeɪsɪz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “embrace” sits inside “embraces”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23793, 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/. embraces is at rank #18,299, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɛmˈbɹeɪsɪz/.
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 23793, this pair ranks #406,730 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of embrace vs embraces
Shared letters: abcemr. Private to "embrace": -. Private to "embraces": s.
"embrace" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV · "embraces" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "embrace" and "embraces" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "embrace" or "embraces"?
Remembering embrace vs embraces
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “embrace”; for a noun, it's “embraces”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “embrace” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable