Which to use
“pediatric” is an adjective and “pediatrics” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,380
- “pediatric” frequency rank
- #19,933
- “pediatrics” frequency rank
- 34313
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pediatric | pediatrics |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Of or pertaining to pediatrics, the branch of medicine dealing with the care and treatment of children and adolescents. | The branch of medicine that deals with the treatment of children and adolescents. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set pediatric and pediatrics apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: pediatric is /ˌpiːdiːˈætrɪk/ while pediatrics is /ˌpiːdɪˈætɹɪks/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “pediatric” sits inside “pediatrics”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 34313, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pediatric is recorded at frequency rank #14,380, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˌpiːdiːˈætrɪk/. pediatrics is at rank #19,933, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˌpiːdɪˈætɹɪks/.
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 34313, this pair ranks #321,885 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pediatric vs pediatrics
Shared letters: acdeiprt. Private to "pediatric": -. Private to "pediatrics": s.
"pediatric" · 9 letters · shape CVCVVCCVC · "pediatrics" · 10 letters · shape CVCVVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- pediatric ← epdiatric · pdeiatric · pedaitric · peddiatric · pediartic · pediatirc · pediatrci · pediatricc
- pediatrics ← epdiatrics · pdeiatrics · pedaitrics · peddiatrics · pediartics · pediatircs · pediatrcis · pediatriccs
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "pediatric" and "pediatrics" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "pediatric" or "pediatrics"?
Remembering pediatric vs pediatrics
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “pediatric”; for a noun, it's “pediatrics”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “pediatric” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable