Which to use
“scaled” is a verb and “scold” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,014
- “scaled” frequency rank
- #36,752
- “scold” frequency rank
- 50766
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scaled | scold |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of scale | A person who habitually scolds, in particular a troublesome and angry woman. |
Where the eye mixes scaled and scold
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. scaled runs 6 letters (CCVCVC) against scold's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses scaled with scold
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: scaled is /skeɪld/ while scold is /skəʊld/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 50766, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scaled is recorded at frequency rank #14,014, classified as averb, pronounced /skeɪld/. scold is at rank #36,752, tagged as anoun, pronounced /skəʊld/.
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 50766, this pair ranks #171,339 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scaled vs scold
Shared letters: cdls. Private to "scaled": ae. Private to "scold": o.
"scaled" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "scold" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scaled" for "scold" ever safe?
Which is more common, "scaled" or "scold"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "scaled" and "scold" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "scaled" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scold" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #171,339 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scaled" and "scold" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scold vs sola". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #171,339 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.