Which to use
“kilometer” and “kilometre” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,717
- “kilometer” frequency rank
- #22,131
- “kilometre” frequency rank
- 44848
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kilometer | kilometre |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | US spelling of kilometre. | An SI unit of length equal to 10³ metres. Symbol: km |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set kilometer and kilometre apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
This is the hard kind. kilometer and kilometre are pronounced identically (/kɪˈlɒmɪtə/) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ only by swapping two adjacent letters (er ↔ re) - a transposition the eye reads straight past. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44848, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kilometer is recorded at frequency rank #22,717, classified as anoun, pronounced /kɪˈlɒmɪtə/. kilometre is at rank #22,131, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kɪˈlɒmɪtə/.
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 44848, this pair ranks #226,759 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of kilometer vs kilometre
Shared letters: eiklmort. Private to "kilometer": -. Private to "kilometre": -.
"kilometer" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCVC · "kilometre" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kilometer" and "kilometre" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "kilometer" or "kilometre"?
Remembering kilometer vs kilometre
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “kilometer” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable