Which to use
“multiple” is a determiner and “multiply” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,277
- “multiple” frequency rank
- #15,006
- “multiply” frequency rank
- 16283
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | multiple | multiply |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | More than one (followed by plural). | To increase the amount, degree or number of (something). |
Where the eye mixes multiple and multiply
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses multiple with multiply
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: multiple is /ˈmʌltɪpəl/ while multiply is /ˈmʌltɪplaɪ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - e in “multiple” becomes y in “multiply”, and the parts of speech differ too (determiner vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16283, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
multiple is recorded at frequency rank #1,277, classified as adet, pronounced /ˈmʌltɪpəl/. multiply is at rank #15,006, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈmʌltɪplaɪ/.
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 16283, this pair ranks #458,757 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of multiple vs multiply
Shared letters: ilmptu. Private to "multiple": e. Private to "multiply": y.
"multiple" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "multiply" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "multiple" and "multiply" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "multiple" or "multiply" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "multiple" and "multiply" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "multiple" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "multiply" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #458,757 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "multiple" and "multiply" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "multiplex vs multiply". 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 #458,757 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.