# opt vs owe

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### opt
*verb · IPA /ɒpt/ · frequency rank #8,325*
To choose; select.

### owe
*verb · IPA /əʊ/ · frequency rank #5,820*
To be under an obligation to give something back to someone or to perform some action for someone.

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