eminentvsevidentWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“eminent” and “evident” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#13,708
“eminent” frequency rank
#7,220
“evident” frequency rank
20928
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature eminent evident
Definition Noteworthy, remarkable, great. Obviously true by simple observation.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set eminent and evident apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
eminent
7 ch
evident

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. eminent (/ˈɛmɪnənt/) and evident (/ˈɛv.ɪ.dənt/) 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 20928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

eminent is recorded at frequency rank #13,708, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈɛmɪnənt/. evident is at rank #7,220, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈɛv.ɪ.dənt/.

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 20928, this pair ranks #427,644 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of eminent vs evident

Shared letters: eint. Private to "eminent": m. Private to "evident": dv.

"eminent" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCC  ·  "evident" · 7 letters · shape VCVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • eminenteimnent · emiennt · eminennt · eminentt · eminetn · eminnent · eminnet · emminent
  • evidenteivdent · evdient · eviddent · evidennt · evidentt · evidetn · evidnet · eviednt

Frequency comparison

eminent#13,708
evident#7,220

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "eminent" and "evident" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈɛmɪnənt/ versus /ˈɛv.ɪ.dənt/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "eminent" or "evident"?
"evident" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,220 in our English list, against #13,708 for "eminent". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering eminent vs evident

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 “eminent” 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