energiesvsenergizeWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#14,116
“energies” frequency rank
#38,826
“energize” frequency rank
52942
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature energies energize
Definition plural of energy To invigorate; to make energetic.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
energies
8 ch
energize

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: energies is /ˈɛnɚd͡ʒiz/ while energize is /ˈɛnəd͡ʒaɪz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52942, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

energies is recorded at frequency rank #14,116, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɛnɚd͡ʒiz/. energize is at rank #38,826, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈɛnəd͡ʒaɪz/.

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 52942, this pair ranks #152,946 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of energies vs energize

Shared letters: eginr. Private to "energies": s. Private to "energize": z.

"energies" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVVC  ·  "energize" · 8 letters · shape VCVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • energieseenrgies · enegries · energeis · energgies · energiess · energise · eneriges · enerrgies
  • energizeeenrgize · enegrize · energgize · energiez · energizze · energzie · enerigze · enerrgize

Frequency comparison

energies#14,116
energize#38,826

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "energies" and "energize" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "energies" is a noun and "energize" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "energies" or "energize"?
"energies" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,116 in our English list, against #38,826 for "energize". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering energies vs energize

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “energies”; for a verb, it's “energize”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “energies” 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