Which to use
“follow” is a verb and “follower” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #747
- “follow” frequency rank
- #13,721
- “follower” frequency rank
- 14468
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | follow | follower |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching. | One who follows, comes after another. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set follow and follower apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: follow is /ˈfɒləʊ/ while follower is /ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “follow” sits inside “follower”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14468, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
follow is recorded at frequency rank #747, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈfɒləʊ/. follower is at rank #13,721, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/.
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 14468, this pair ranks #469,870 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of follow vs follower
Shared letters: flow. Private to "follow": -. Private to "follower": er.
"follow" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "follower" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "follow" and "follower" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "follow" or "follower"?
Remembering follow vs follower
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “follow”; for a noun, it's “follower”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “follow” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable