markedvsmarketsWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: marked is a adjective, markets is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“marked” is an adjective and “markets” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#3,007
“marked” frequency rank
#2,453
“markets” frequency rank
5460
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature marked markets
Definition Having a visible or identifying mark. plural of market

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set marked and markets apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
marked
7 ch
markets

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

marked and markets 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 5460, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

marked is recorded at frequency rank #3,007, classified as anadj, pronounced /mɑːkt/. markets is at rank #2,453, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈmɑːkɪts/.

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 5460, this pair ranks #515,248 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

marked#3,007
markets#2,453

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "marked" and "markets" be used interchangeably?
No, "marked" and "markets" 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 marked vs markets

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “marked”; for a noun, it's “markets”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “marked” 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