Which to use
“number” is a noun and “numbered” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #216
- “number” frequency rank
- #9,374
- “numbered” frequency rank
- 9590
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | number | numbered |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Quantity. | simple past and past participle of number |
Where the eye mixes number and numbered
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses number with numbered
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: number is /ˈnʌmbər/ while numbered is /ˈnʌmbɚd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “number” sits inside “numbered”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
number is recorded at frequency rank #216, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈnʌmbər/. numbered is at rank #9,374, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈnʌmbɚd/.
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 9590, this pair ranks #496,617 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of number vs numbered
Shared letters: bemnru. Private to "number": -. Private to "numbered": d.
"number" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "numbered" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "number" and "numbered" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "number" or "numbered"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "number" and "numbered" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "number" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "numbered" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #496,617 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "number" and "numbered" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "number vs nutter". 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 #496,617 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.