Which to use
“ergonomic” is an adjective and “ergonomics” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,234
- “ergonomic” frequency rank
- #39,803
- “ergonomics” frequency rank
- 80037
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ergonomic | ergonomics |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Of or relating to the science of ergonomics. | The science of the design of equipment, especially so as to reduce operator fatigue, discomfort and injury. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ergonomic and ergonomics apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ergonomic is anadjective and ergonomicsanoun. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ergonomic” sits inside “ergonomics”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 80037, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ergonomic is recorded at frequency rank #40,234, classified as anadj. ergonomics is at rank #39,803, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɜː.ɡəˈnɒ.mɪks/.
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 80037, this pair ranks #20,711 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ergonomic vs ergonomics
Shared letters: cegimnor. Private to "ergonomic": -. Private to "ergonomics": s.
"ergonomic" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVCVC · "ergonomics" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ergonomic ← egronomic · erggonomic · ergnoomic · ergonmoic · ergonnomic · ergonoimc · ergonomci · ergonomicc
- ergonomics ← egronomics · erggonomics · ergnoomics · ergonmoics · ergonnomics · ergonoimcs · ergonomcis · ergonomiccs
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ergonomic" and "ergonomics" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ergonomic" or "ergonomics"?
Remembering ergonomic vs ergonomics
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ergonomic”; for a noun, it's “ergonomics”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ergonomic” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable