embracedvsembracesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: embraced is a verb, embraces is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“embraced” is a verb and “embraces” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,359
“embraced” frequency rank
#18,299
“embraces” frequency rank
28658
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature embraced embraces
Definition simple past and past participle of embrace plural of embrace

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set embraced and embraces apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
embraced
8 ch
embraces

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: embraced is /ɪmˈbɹeɪst/ while embraces is /ɛmˈbɹeɪsɪz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “embraced” becomes s in “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 28658, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

embraced is recorded at frequency rank #10,359, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪmˈbɹeɪst/. 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 28658, this pair ranks #369,339 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of embraced vs embraces

Shared letters: abcemr. Private to "embraced": d. Private to "embraces": s.

"embraced" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC  ·  "embraces" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • embracedebmraced · embarced · embbraced · embracced · embracde · embracedd · embraecd · embrcaed
  • embracesebmraces · embarces · embbraces · embracces · embracess · embracse · embraecs · embrcaes

Frequency comparison

embraced#10,359
embraces#18,299

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "embraced" and "embraces" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "embraced" is a verb and "embraces" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "embraced" or "embraces"?
"embraced" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,359 in our English list, against #18,299 for "embraces". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering embraced vs embraces

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “embraced”; for a noun, it's “embraces”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “embraced” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list