interactvsinterfaceWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: interact is a verb, interface is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#6,583
“interact” frequency rank
#5,887
“interface” frequency rank
12470
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature interact interface
Definition To act upon each other. The point of interconnection or contact between entities.

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
interact
9 ch
interface

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

interact and interface 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 12470, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

interact is recorded at frequency rank #6,583, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪn.təˈɹækt/. interface is at rank #5,887, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɪntəfeɪs/.

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 12470, this pair ranks #481,389 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

interact#6,583
interface#5,887

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "interact" and "interface" be used interchangeably?
No, "interact" and "interface" 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 interact vs interface

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list