followvsFolsomWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: follow is a verb, Folsom is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

By · Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org ·

Which to use

“follow” is a verb and “Folsom” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#747
“follow” frequency rank
#31,564
“Folsom” frequency rank
32311
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature follow Folsom
Definition To go after; to pursue; to move behind in the same path or direction, especially with the intent of catching. A surname.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set follow and Folsom apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
follow
6 ch
Folsom

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: follow is averb and Folsomaname. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32311, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

follow is recorded at frequency rank #747, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈfɒləʊ/. Folsom is at rank #31,564, tagged as aname.

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 32311, this pair ranks #338,853 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of follow vs Folsom

Shared letters: flo. Private to "follow": w. Private to "Folsom": ms.

"follow" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Folsom" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • follow ← ffollow · flolow · followw · follwo · fololw · folow · ofllow
  • Folsom ← ffolsom · flosom · follsom · folosm · folsmo · folsomm · folssom · foslom

Frequency comparison

follow#747
Folsom#31,564

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "follow" and "Folsom" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "follow" is a verb and "Folsom" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "follow" or "Folsom"?
"follow" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #747 in our English list, against #31,564 for "Folsom". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering follow vs Folsom

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “follow”; for a name, it's “Folsom”.
  • 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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list