Which to use
“paltry” is an adjective and “poultry” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,625
- “paltry” frequency rank
- #14,191
- “poultry” frequency rank
- 48816
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | paltry | poultry |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Trashy, trivial, of little value. | Domestic fowl (e.g. chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese) raised for food (meat, eggs, or both). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set paltry and poultry apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: paltry and poultry carry the same recorded pronunciation, /ˈpɒltɹi/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anadjective, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48816, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
paltry is recorded at frequency rank #34,625, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈpɒltɹi/. poultry is at rank #14,191, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɒltɹi/.
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 48816, this pair ranks #189,524 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of paltry vs poultry
Shared letters: lprty. Private to "paltry": a. Private to "poultry": ou.
"paltry" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "poultry" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "paltry" and "poultry" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "paltry" or "poultry"?
Remembering paltry vs poultry
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “paltry”; for a noun, it's “poultry”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “paltry” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable