Which to use
“nodded” is a verb and “node” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,981
- “nodded” frequency rank
- #8,583
- “node” frequency rank
- 25564
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nodded | node |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of nod | A knot, knob, protuberance or swelling. |
Where the eye mixes nodded and node
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses nodded with node
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nodded is /ˈnɑdɪd/ while node is /nəʊd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 25564, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nodded is recorded at frequency rank #16,981, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈnɑdɪd/. node is at rank #8,583, tagged as anoun, pronounced /nəʊd/.
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 25564, this pair ranks #393,356 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of nodded vs node
Shared letters: deno. Private to "nodded": -. Private to "node": -.
"nodded" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "node" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "nodded" for "node" ever safe?
Frequency check: "nodded" vs "node" - which ranks higher?
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 "nodded" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "node" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #393,356 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "nodded" and "node" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "node vs nori". 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 #393,356 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.