Which to use
“exploded” and “exposed” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #10,044
- “exploded” frequency rank
- #2,945
- “exposed” frequency rank
- 12989
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | exploded | exposed |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Having been subjected to an explosion; blown up. | Open (especially to something), unconcealed and/or unprotected (and therefore vulnerable, susceptible). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set exploded and exposed apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
exploded and exposed form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12989, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
exploded is recorded at frequency rank #10,044, classified as anadj. exposed is at rank #2,945, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪkˈspoʊzd/.
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 12989, this pair ranks #478,354 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "exploded" and "exposed" be used interchangeably?
Remembering exploded vs exposed
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “exploded” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable