Which to use
“entertain” is a verb and “entertainer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,175
- “entertain” frequency rank
- #16,016
- “entertainer” frequency rank
- 25191
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | entertain | entertainer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | to amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably | A person who entertains others, esp. as a profession, as a singer, actor, presenter, dancer, musician, magician, comedian, etc. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set entertain and entertainer apart are highlighted. They share 9 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: entertain is /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/ while entertainer is /ˌɛntəˈteɪnə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “entertain” sits inside “entertainer”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25191, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
entertain is recorded at frequency rank #9,175, classified as averb, pronounced /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/. entertainer is at rank #16,016, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˌɛntəˈteɪnə/.
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 25191, this pair ranks #396,217 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of entertain vs entertainer
Shared letters: aeinrt. Private to "entertain": -. Private to "entertainer": -.
"entertain" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCCVVC · "entertainer" · 11 letters · shape VCCVCCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- entertain ← enetrtain · enntertain · enteratin · enterrtain · entertainn · entertani · entertian · enterttain
- entertainer ← enetrtainer · enntertainer · enteratiner · enterrtainer · entertaienr · entertainerr · entertainner · entertainre
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "entertain" and "entertainer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "entertain" or "entertainer"?
Remembering entertain vs entertainer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “entertain”; for a noun, it's “entertainer”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “entertain” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable