Which to use
“hypocrisy” and “hypocrite” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,074
- “hypocrisy” frequency rank
- #17,162
- “hypocrite” frequency rank
- 29236
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | hypocrisy | hypocrite |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The contrivance of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, while concealing real character or inclinations, especially with respect to religious and moral beliefs; hence in general sense, dissimulation, pretence, sham. | Someone who practices hypocrisy, who pretends to hold beliefs, or whose actions are not consistent with their claimed beliefs. |
Where the eye mixes hypocrisy and hypocrite
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: hypocrisy vs hypocrite
A purely visual mix-up. hypocrisy (/hɪˈpɒkɹəsi/) and hypocrite (/ˈhɪ.pə.kɹɪt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29236, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
hypocrisy is recorded at frequency rank #12,074, classified as anoun, pronounced /hɪˈpɒkɹəsi/. hypocrite is at rank #17,162, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈhɪ.pə.kɹɪt/.
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 29236, this pair ranks #364,706 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of hypocrisy vs hypocrite
Shared letters: chiopry. Private to "hypocrisy": s. Private to "hypocrite": et.
"hypocrisy" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV · "hypocrite" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "hypocrisy" for "hypocrite" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "hypocrisy" or "hypocrite" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "hypocrisy" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "hypocrite" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #364,706 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- 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 #364,706 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.