Which to use
“onstage” is an adjective and “outage” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #15,670
- “onstage” frequency rank
- #20,727
- “outage” frequency rank
- 36397
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | onstage | outage |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | On the part of a stage that is visible to the audience. | A temporary suspension of operation, especially of electrical power supply. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set onstage and outage apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: onstage is anadjective and outageanoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36397, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
onstage is recorded at frequency rank #15,670, classified as anadj. outage is at rank #20,727, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈaʊ.tɪd͡ʒ/.
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 36397, this pair ranks #303,558 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of onstage vs outage
Shared letters: aegot. Private to "onstage": ns. Private to "outage": u.
"onstage" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV · "outage" · 6 letters · shape VVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "onstage" and "outage" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "onstage" or "outage"?
Remembering onstage vs outage
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “onstage”; for a noun, it's “outage”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “onstage” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable