Which to use
“package” and “passage” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,249
- “package” frequency rank
- #4,547
- “passage” frequency rank
- 7796
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | package | passage |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Something which is packed, a parcel, a box, an envelope. | A paragraph or section of text or music with particular meaning. |
Where the eye mixes package and passage
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses package with passage
A purely visual mix-up. package (/ˈpæ.kɪd͡ʒ/) and passage (/ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7796, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
package is recorded at frequency rank #3,249, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpæ.kɪd͡ʒ/. passage is at rank #4,547, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/.
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 7796, this pair ranks #505,544 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of package vs passage
Shared letters: aegp. Private to "package": ck. Private to "passage": s.
"package" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "passage" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "package" for "passage" ever safe?
In ordinary English text, does "package" or "passage" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "package" and "passage" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "package" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "passage" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #505,544 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "package" and "passage" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "passage vs Passaic". 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 #505,544 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.