# offense vs offensive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### offense
*noun · IPA /əˈfɛns/ · frequency rank #4,619*
The act of offending.

### offensive
*adjective · IPA /əˈfɛnsɪv/ · frequency rank #3,247*
Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation.

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