identify vs identity, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“identify” is a verb and “identity” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#2,682
“identify” frequency rank: #2,255
“identity” frequency rank: 4937
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	identify	identity
Definition	To establish the identity of someone or something.	Sameness, identicalness; the quality or fact of (several specified things) being the same.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set identify and identity apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch

identify

8 ch

identity

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

identify and identity form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - f in “identify” becomes t in “identity” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4937, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

identify is recorded at frequency rank #2,682, classified as averb, pronounced /aɪˈdɛn.tɪ.faɪ/. identity is at rank #2,255, tagged as anoun, pronounced /aɪˈdɛntɪti/.

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 4937, this pair ranks #517,165 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

identify#2,682

identity#2,255

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "identify" and "identity" be used interchangeably?

No, "identify" and "identity" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering identify vs identity

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “identify”; for a noun, it's “identity”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “identify” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable