Which to use
“nominate” is a verb and “nominee” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,569
- “nominate” frequency rank
- #7,586
- “nominee” frequency rank
- 21155
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | nominate | nominee |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To name someone as a candidate for a particular role or position, including that of an office. | A person named, or designated, by another, to any office, duty, or position; one nominated, or proposed, by others for office or for election to office. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set nominate and nominee apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: nominate is /ˈnɒm.ɪ.neɪt/ while nominee is /ˌnɒmɪˈniː/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 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 21155, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
nominate is recorded at frequency rank #13,569, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈnɒm.ɪ.neɪt/. nominee is at rank #7,586, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˌnɒmɪˈniː/.
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 21155, this pair ranks #425,980 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of nominate vs nominee
Shared letters: eimno. Private to "nominate": at. Private to "nominee": -.
"nominate" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV · "nominee" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "nominate" and "nominee" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "nominate" or "nominee"?
Remembering nominate vs nominee
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “nominate”; for a noun, it's “nominee”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “nominate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable