Which to use
“postcode” is a noun and “postpone” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,045
- “postcode” frequency rank
- #15,480
- “postpone” frequency rank
- 44525
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | postcode | postpone |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A sequence of letters and numbers added to a postal address to aid the sorting and delivery of post or mail. | To delay or put off an event, appointment, etc. |
Where the eye mixes postcode and postpone
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses postcode with postpone
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: postcode is /ˈpəʊs(t)kəʊd/ while postpone is /poʊstˈpoʊn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44525, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
postcode is recorded at frequency rank #29,045, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpəʊs(t)kəʊd/. postpone is at rank #15,480, tagged as averb, pronounced /poʊstˈpoʊn/.
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 44525, this pair ranks #229,712 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of postcode vs postpone
Shared letters: eopst. Private to "postcode": cd. Private to "postpone": n.
"postcode" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV · "postpone" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "postcode" and "postpone" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "postcode" or "postpone"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "postcode" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "postpone" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #229,712 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "postcode" and "postpone" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "passcode vs postcode". 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 #229,712 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.