Which to use
“modernised” is an adjective and “modernize” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,633
- “modernised” frequency rank
- #27,937
- “modernize” frequency rank
- 74570
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | modernised | modernize |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | That has undergone modernisation. | To make (something old or outdated) up to date, or modern in style or function by adding or changing equipment, designs, etc. |
Letter map: modernised vs modernize
Shared letters muted; letters that set modernised and modernize apart highlighted. Shared run: 8. modernised runs 10 letters (CVCVCCVCVC) against modernize's 9 (CVCVCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Part-of-speech tell for modernised / modernize
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: modernised is anadjective and modernizeaverb. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74570, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
modernised is recorded at frequency rank #46,633, classified as anadj. modernize is at rank #27,937, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈmɒdənaɪz/.
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 74570, this pair ranks #35,943 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of modernised vs modernize
Shared letters: deimnor. Private to "modernised": s. Private to "modernize": z.
"modernised" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC · "modernize" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- modernised ← mdoernised · mmodernised · moddernised · modenrised · moderinsed · moderniesd · modernisde · modernisedd
- modernize ← mdoernize · mmodernize · moddernize · modenrize · moderinze · moderniez · modernizze · modernnize
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "modernised" for "modernize" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "modernised" or "modernize" show up more?
What to do next
You've compared "modernised" and "modernize". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "modernised" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "modernize" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #35,943 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "modernised" and "modernize" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "modernised vs modernism". 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 #35,943 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.