Which to use
“payment” and “pigment” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,225
- “payment” frequency rank
- #17,921
- “pigment” frequency rank
- 20146
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | payment | pigment |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The act of paying. | Any color in plant or animal cells. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set payment and pigment apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. payment (/ˈpeɪmənt/) and pigment (/ˈpɪɡ.mənt/) 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 20146, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
payment is recorded at frequency rank #2,225, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpeɪmənt/. pigment is at rank #17,921, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɪɡ.mənt/.
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 20146, this pair ranks #433,188 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of payment vs pigment
Shared letters: emnpt. Private to "payment": ay. Private to "pigment": gi.
"payment" · 7 letters · shape CVVCVCC · "pigment" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "payment" and "pigment" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "payment" or "pigment"?
Remembering payment vs pigment
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “payment” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable