# obsess vs obsessed

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### obsess
*verb · IPA /əbˈsɛs/ · frequency rank #32,948*
To be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion.

### obsessed
*verb · IPA /əbˈsɛst/ · frequency rank #6,272*
simple past and past participle of obsess

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