Which to use
“expediency” is a noun and “expedient” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,452
- “expediency” frequency rank
- #35,713
- “expedient” frequency rank
- 82165
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | expediency | expedient |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The quality of being fit or suitable to effect some desired end or the purpose intended; suitability for particular circumstance or situation. | Suitable to effect some desired end or the purpose intended. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set expediency and expedient apart are highlighted. They share 8 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: expediency is /ɛkˈspiː.dɪ.ən.si/ while expedient is /ɪkˈspiːdi.ənt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82165, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
expediency is recorded at frequency rank #46,452, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɛkˈspiː.dɪ.ən.si/. expedient is at rank #35,713, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪkˈspiːdi.ənt/.
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 82165, this pair ranks #16,257 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of expediency vs expedient
Shared letters: deinpx. Private to "expediency": cy. Private to "expedient": t.
"expediency" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVVCCV · "expedient" · 9 letters · shape VCCVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- expediency ← epxediency · exepdiency · expdeiency · expeddiency · expedeincy · expediecny · expedienccy · expediencyy
- expedient ← epxedient · exepdient · expdeient · expeddient · expedeint · expediennt · expedientt · expedietn
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "expediency" and "expedient" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "expediency" or "expedient"?
Remembering expediency vs expedient
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “expediency”; for an adjective, it's “expedient”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “expediency” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable