Which to use
“pur” is a noun and “pure” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #34,243
- “pur” frequency rank
- #2,308
- “pure” frequency rank
- 36551
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | pur | pure |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dated form of purr (“low murmuring sound as of a cat”). | Free of flaws or imperfections; unsullied. |
Letter map: pur vs pure
Shared letters muted; letters that set pur and pure apart highlighted. Shared run: 3.
Grammar separator: pur vs pure
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: pur is anoun and pureanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “pur” sits inside “pure”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36551, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
pur is recorded at frequency rank #34,243, classified as anoun. pure is at rank #2,308, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈpjʊə(ɹ)/.
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 36551, this pair ranks #302,202 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of pur vs pure
Shared letters: pru. Private to "pur": -. Private to "pure": e.
"pur" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "pure" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- pure ← ppure · prue · puer · purre · upre
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "pur" and "pure" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "pur" vs "pure" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pair "pur" vs "pure" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "pur" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "pure" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #302,202 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "pur" and "pure" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "PPA vs pur". 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 #302,202 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.