Which to use
“scent” is a noun and “scented” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,396
- “scent” frequency rank
- #19,691
- “scented” frequency rank
- 29087
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scent | scented |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A distinctive smell. | Having a pleasant aroma. |
Letter map: scent vs scented
Shared letters muted; letters that set scent and scented apart highlighted. Shared run: 5. scent runs 5 letters (CCVCC) against scented's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Grammar separator: scent vs scented
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: scent is anoun and scentedanadjective. On the page they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “scent” sits inside “scented”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29087, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scent is recorded at frequency rank #9,396, classified as anoun, pronounced /sɛnt/. scented is at rank #19,691, 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 29087, this pair ranks #365,930 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scent vs scented
Shared letters: censt. Private to "scent": -. Private to "scented": d.
"scent" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "scented" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scent" for "scented" ever safe?
Which is more common, "scent" or "scented"?
After this comparison
Pair "scent" vs "scented" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "scent" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "scented" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #365,930 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scent" and "scented" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "scented vs scepter". 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 #365,930 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.