Which to use
“filter” is a noun and “filthy” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,449
- “filter” frequency rank
- #9,608
- “filthy” frequency rank
- 14057
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | filter | filthy |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A device which separates a suspended, dissolved, or particulate matter from a fluid, solution, or other substance; any device that separates one substance from another. | Covered with filth; very dirty. |
Where the eye mixes filter and filthy
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between filter and filthy
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: filter is /ˈfɪltə/ while filthy is /ˈfɪlθi/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14057, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
filter is recorded at frequency rank #4,449, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈfɪltə/. filthy is at rank #9,608, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈfɪlθi/.
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 14057, this pair ranks #472,295 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of filter vs filthy
Shared letters: filt. Private to "filter": er. Private to "filthy": hy.
"filter" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "filthy" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "filter" for "filthy" ever safe?
Frequency check: "filter" vs "filthy" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "filter" and "filthy" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "filter" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "filthy" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #472,295 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "filter" and "filthy" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "filthy vs frothy". 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 #472,295 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.