Which to use
“indented” is an adjective and “infected” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #44,269
- “indented” frequency rank
- #5,803
- “infected” frequency rank
- 50072
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | indented | infected |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Cut in the edge into points or inequalities, like teeth; dented on the surface; jagged; notched; stamped in. | simple past and past participle of infect |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set indented and infected 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: indented is anadjective and infectedaverb. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50072, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
indented is recorded at frequency rank #44,269, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈdɛntɪd/. infected is at rank #5,803, tagged as averb.
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 50072, this pair ranks #177,617 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of indented vs infected
Shared letters: deint. Private to "indented": -. Private to "infected": cf.
"indented" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC · "infected" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "indented" and "infected" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "indented" or "infected"?
Remembering indented vs infected
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “indented”; for a verb, it's “infected”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “indented” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable