Which to use
“modem” is a noun and “modest” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,186
- “modem” frequency rank
- #6,811
- “modest” frequency rank
- 23997
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | modem | modest |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A device that encodes digital computer signals into analog telephone signals and vice versa, allowing computers to communicate over a phone line. | Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble. |
Where the eye mixes modem and modest
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses modem with modest
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: modem is /ˈməʊdəm/ while modest is /ˈmɑdəst/. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23997, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
modem is recorded at frequency rank #17,186, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈməʊdəm/. modest is at rank #6,811, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈmɑdəst/.
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 23997, this pair ranks #405,245 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of modem vs modest
Shared letters: demo. Private to "modem": -. Private to "modest": st.
"modem" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "modest" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "modem" for "modest" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "modem" or "modest" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "modem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "modest" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #405,245 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "modem" and "modest" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "modem vs Moslem". 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
Confusion rank #405,245 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.