# privacy vs private

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### privacy
*noun · IPA /ˈpɹɪv.ə.si/ · frequency rank #3,898*
The state of being secluded from the presence, sight, or knowledge of others.

### private
*adjective · IPA /ˈpɹaɪ.vɪt/ · frequency rank #661*
Belonging or pertaining to an individual person, group of people, or entity that is not the state.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/privacy-vs-private