# saline vs saliva

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### saline
*adjective · IPA /ˈseɪ.laɪn/ · frequency rank #18,946*
Containing salt; salty.

### saliva
*noun · IPA /səˈlaɪvə/ · frequency rank #18,424*
A clear, slightly alkaline liquid secreted into the mouth by the salivary glands and mucous glands, consisting of water, mucin, protein, and enzymes. It moistens the mouth, lubricates ingested food, and begins the breakdown of starches.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/saline-vs-saliva