Which to use
“rotate” is a verb and “rotated” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,414
- “rotate” frequency rank
- #18,944
- “rotated” frequency rank
- 32358
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rotate | rotated |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To spin, turn, or revolve. | Having undergone rotation about an axis. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set rotate and rotated apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: rotate is averb and rotatedanadjective. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “rotate” sits inside “rotated”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32358, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rotate is recorded at frequency rank #13,414, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹəʊˈteɪt/. rotated is at rank #18,944, tagged as anadj.
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 32358, this pair ranks #338,445 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of rotate vs rotated
Shared letters: aeort. Private to "rotate": -. Private to "rotated": d.
"rotate" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "rotated" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "rotate" and "rotated" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "rotate" or "rotated"?
Remembering rotate vs rotated
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “rotate”; for an adjective, it's “rotated”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “rotate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable