predicatevspredicatedConfusable pair

Quick tell: predicate is a noun, predicated is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“predicate” is a noun and “predicated” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#35,029
“predicate” frequency rank
#29,046
“predicated” frequency rank
64075
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature predicate predicated
Definition The part of the sentence (or clause) which states a property that a subject has or is characterized by. simple past and past participle of predicate

Where the eye mixes predicate and predicated

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence.

9 ch
predicate
10 ch
predicated

Look-alike desk: predicate vs predicated

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: predicate is /ˈpɹɛd.ɪ.kət/ while predicated is /ˈpɹɛdɪˌkeɪtɪd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “predicate” sits inside “predicated”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64075, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

predicate is recorded at frequency rank #35,029, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈpɹɛd.ɪ.kət/. predicated is at rank #29,046, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈpɹɛdɪˌkeɪtɪd/.

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 64075, this pair ranks #79,613 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of predicate vs predicated

Shared letters: acdeiprt. Private to "predicate": -. Private to "predicated": -.

"predicate" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCVCV  ·  "predicated" · 10 letters · shape CCVCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • predicateperdicate · ppredicate · prdeicate · predciate · preddicate · prediacte · predicaet · predicatte
  • predicatedperdicated · ppredicated · prdeicated · predciated · preddicated · prediacted · predicaetd · predicatde

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "predicate" for "predicated" ever safe?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "predicate" is a noun and "predicated" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "predicate" or "predicated"?
"predicated" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #29,046 in our English list, against #35,029 for "predicate". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "predicate" and "predicated" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "predicate" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "predicated" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #79,613 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "predicate" and "predicated" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "predate vs predicate". 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 #79,613 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list