Which to use
“random” and “ransom” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,590
- “random” frequency rank
- #11,588
- “ransom” frequency rank
- 14178
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | random | ransom |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A roving motion; course without definite direction; lack of rule or method; chance. | Money paid for the freeing of a hostage. |
Where the eye mixes random and ransom
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between random and ransom
A purely visual mix-up. random (/ˈɹændəm/) and ransom (/ˈɹæn.səm/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - d in “random” becomes s in “ransom”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14178, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
random is recorded at frequency rank #2,590, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɹændəm/. ransom is at rank #11,588, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɹæn.səm/.
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 14178, this pair ranks #471,599 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of random vs ransom
Shared letters: amnor. Private to "random": d. Private to "ransom": s.
"random" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "ransom" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "random" for "ransom" ever safe?
Frequency check: "random" vs "ransom" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "random" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ransom" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #471,599 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "random" and "ransom" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ransom vs ronson". 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 #471,599 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.