Which to use
“ratio” and “ration” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,837
- “ratio” frequency rank
- #23,374
- “ration” frequency rank
- 27211
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ratio | ration |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A number representing a comparison between two named things. | A portion of some limited resource, especially food, allocated to a person or group. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ratio and ration apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
ratio and ration form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ratio” sits inside “ration” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27211, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ratio is recorded at frequency rank #3,837, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɹeɪ.ʃi.əʊ/. ration is at rank #23,374, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈɹæʃən/.
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 27211, this pair ranks #380,687 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ratio" and "ration" be used interchangeably?
Remembering ratio vs ration
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ratio” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable