# narcotic vs narcotics

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### narcotic
*noun · IPA /nɑːˈkɒtɪk/ · frequency rank #29,008*
Any substance or drug that reduces pain, induces sleep and may alter mood or behaviour; in some contexts, especially in reference to the opiates-and-opioids class, especially in reference to illegal drugs, and often both.

### narcotics
*noun · frequency rank #15,008*
plural of narcotic

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/narcotic-vs-narcotics