Which to use
“favorable” and “favourable” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,927
- “favorable” frequency rank
- #14,322
- “favourable” frequency rank
- 23249
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | favorable | favourable |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | US standard spelling of favourable. | Apt to win favour; pleasing. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set favorable and favourable apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. favorable (/ˈfeɪ.vɚ.əbl/) and favourable (/ˈfeɪv(ə)ɹəbəl/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23249, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
favorable is recorded at frequency rank #8,927, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈfeɪ.vɚ.əbl/. favourable is at rank #14,322, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈfeɪv(ə)ɹəbəl/.
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 23249, this pair ranks #410,676 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of favorable vs favourable
Shared letters: abeflorv. Private to "favorable": -. Private to "favourable": u.
"favorable" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV · "favourable" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- favorable ← afvorable · faovrable · favoarble · favorabble · favorabel · favorablle · favoralbe · favorbale
- favourable ← afvourable · faovurable · favoruable · favouarble · favourabble · favourabel · favourablle · favouralbe
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "favorable" and "favourable" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "favorable" or "favourable"?
Remembering favorable vs favourable
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 “favorable” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable