Which to use
“molest” is a verb and “molester” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,346
- “molest” frequency rank
- #41,770
- “molester” frequency rank
- 82116
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | molest | molester |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To sexually assault or sexually harass. | One who molests. |
Where the eye mixes molest and molester
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. molest runs 6 letters (CVCVCC) against molester's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between molest and molester
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: molest is /məˈlɛst/ while molester is /məˈlɛstɚ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “molest” sits inside “molester”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 82116, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
molest is recorded at frequency rank #40,346, classified as averb, pronounced /məˈlɛst/. molester is at rank #41,770, tagged as anoun, pronounced /məˈlɛstɚ/.
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 82116, this pair ranks #16,362 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of molest vs molester
Shared letters: elmost. Private to "molest": -. Private to "molester": r.
"molest" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "molester" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "molest" for "molester" ever safe?
Which is more common, "molest" or "molester"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "molest" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "molester" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #16,362 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "molest" and "molester" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Modesto vs molest". 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 #16,362 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.