Which to use
“laden” is an adjective and “loaded” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,571
- “laden” frequency rank
- #4,687
- “loaded” frequency rank
- 15258
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | laden | loaded |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Weighed down with a load, burdened. | simple past and past participle of load |
Where the eye mixes laden and loaded
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: laden is /ˈleɪdən/ while loaded is /ˈləʊ.dəd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15258, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
laden is recorded at frequency rank #10,571, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈleɪdən/. loaded is at rank #4,687, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈləʊ.dəd/.
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 15258, this pair ranks #465,122 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of laden vs loaded
Shared letters: adel. Private to "laden": n. Private to "loaded": o.
"laden" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "loaded" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "laden" and "loaded" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "laden" or "loaded"?
What to do next
You've compared "laden" and "loaded". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "laden" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "loaded" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #465,122 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "laden" and "loaded" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "laden vs laver". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.