Which to use
“float” and “floated” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,793
- “float” frequency rank
- #16,916
- “floated” frequency rank
- 24709
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | float | floated |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object). | simple past and past participle of float |
Where the eye mixes float and floated
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: float vs floated
A purely visual mix-up. float (/fləʊt/) and floated (/ˈfləʊtɪd/) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “float” sits inside “floated”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24709, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
float is recorded at frequency rank #7,793, classified as averb, pronounced /fləʊt/. floated is at rank #16,916, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈfləʊtɪd/.
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 24709, this pair ranks #399,943 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of float vs floated
Shared letters: aflot. Private to "float": -. Private to "floated": de.
"float" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "floated" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "float" for "floated" ever safe?
Which is more common, "float" or "floated"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "float" and "floated" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "float" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "floated" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #399,943 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "float" and "floated" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "flaked vs floated". 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 #399,943 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.