Which to use
“err” and “erred” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,359
- “err” frequency rank
- #36,542
- “erred” frequency rank
- 53901
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | err | erred |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To make a mistake. | simple past and past participle of err |
Where the eye mixes err and erred
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between err and erred
A purely visual mix-up. err (/ɜː/) and erred (/ɜːd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “err” sits inside “erred”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53901, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
err is recorded at frequency rank #17,359, classified as averb, pronounced /ɜː/. erred is at rank #36,542, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɜːd/.
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 53901, this pair ranks #145,264 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of err vs erred
Shared letters: er. Private to "err": -. Private to "erred": d.
"err" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "erred" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- erred ← ererd · errde · erredd · rered
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "err" and "erred" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "err" or "erred"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "err" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erred" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #145,264 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "err" and "erred" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "eared vs erred". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #145,264 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.