Which to use
“remiss” is an adjective and “remit” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,142
- “remiss” frequency rank
- #25,901
- “remit” frequency rank
- 72043
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | remiss | remit |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | At fault; failing to fulfill responsibility, duty, or obligations. | To transmit or send (e.g. money in payment); to supply. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set remiss and remit apart are highlighted. They share 4 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: remiss is /ɹəˈmɪs/ while remit is /ɹɪˈmɪt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72043, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
remiss is recorded at frequency rank #46,142, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɹəˈmɪs/. remit is at rank #25,901, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈmɪt/.
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 72043, this pair ranks #44,429 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of remiss vs remit
Shared letters: eimr. Private to "remiss": s. Private to "remit": t.
"remiss" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "remit" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "remiss" and "remit" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "remiss" or "remit"?
Remembering remiss vs remit
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “remiss”; for a verb, it's “remit”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “remiss” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable