Which to use
“recorded” is a verb and “recorder” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,227
- “recorded” frequency rank
- #11,096
- “recorder” frequency rank
- 13323
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recorded | recorder |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of record | An apparatus for recording; a device which records. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set recorded and recorder apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: recorded is /ɹɪˈkɔːdɪd/ while recorder is /ɹiˈkɔː.də/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - d in “recorded” becomes r in “recorder”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13323, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recorded is recorded at frequency rank #2,227, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈkɔːdɪd/. recorder is at rank #11,096, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹiˈkɔː.də/.
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 13323, this pair ranks #476,471 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of recorded vs recorder
Shared letters: cdeor. Private to "recorded": -. Private to "recorder": -.
"recorded" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "recorder" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "recorded" and "recorder" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "recorded" or "recorder"?
Remembering recorded vs recorder
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “recorded”; for a noun, it's “recorder”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “recorded” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable