Which to use
“independence” is a noun and “independent” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,582
- “independence” frequency rank
- #1,249
- “independent” frequency rank
- 3831
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | independence | independent |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The quality or state of being independent; lack of dependence; the state of not being reliant on, or controlled by, others. | Not dependent; not contingent or depending on something else; free. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set independence and independent apart are highlighted. They share 10 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
independence and independent 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
independence is recorded at frequency rank #2,582, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌɪn.dɪˈpɛn.dəns/. independent is at rank #1,249, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˌɪn.dɪˈpɛn.dənt/.
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 3831, this pair ranks #520,860 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "independence" and "independent" be used interchangeably?
Remembering independence vs independent
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “independence”; for an adjective, it's “independent”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “independence” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable