Which to use
“groove” is a noun and “grooved” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,552
- “groove” frequency rank
- #48,786
- “grooved” frequency rank
- 59338
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | groove | grooved |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such a slot cut into a hard material to provide a location for an engineering component, a tire groove, or a geological channel or depression. | Having one or more grooves. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set groove and grooved apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: groove is anoun and groovedanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “groove” sits inside “grooved”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59338, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
groove is recorded at frequency rank #10,552, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɡɹuːv/. grooved is at rank #48,786, tagged as anadj.
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 59338, this pair ranks #106,821 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of groove vs grooved
Shared letters: egorv. Private to "groove": -. Private to "grooved": d.
"groove" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "grooved" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "groove" and "grooved" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "groove" or "grooved"?
Remembering groove vs grooved
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “groove”; for an adjective, it's “grooved”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “groove” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable