Which to use
“exhaust” is a verb and “exhausts” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,467
- “exhaust” frequency rank
- #45,364
- “exhausts” frequency rank
- 54831
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | exhaust | exhausts |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To draw or let out wholly; to drain completely. | plural of exhaust |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set exhaust and exhausts apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: exhaust is /ɪɡˈzɔːst/ while exhausts is /ɪɡˈzɔːsts/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “exhaust” sits inside “exhausts”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
exhaust is recorded at frequency rank #9,467, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪɡˈzɔːst/. exhausts is at rank #45,364, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɪɡˈzɔːsts/.
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 54831, this pair ranks #138,154 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of exhaust vs exhausts
Shared letters: aehstux. Private to "exhaust": -. Private to "exhausts": -.
"exhaust" · 7 letters · shape VCCVVCC · "exhausts" · 8 letters · shape VCCVVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "exhaust" and "exhausts" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "exhaust" or "exhausts"?
Remembering exhaust vs exhausts
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “exhaust”; for a noun, it's “exhausts”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “exhaust” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable