Which to use
“scored” and “spared” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,365
- “scored” frequency rank
- #12,330
- “spared” frequency rank
- 14695
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scored | spared |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of score | simple past and past participle of spare |
Where the eye mixes scored and spared
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses scored with spared
A purely visual mix-up. scored (/skɔː(ɹ)d/) and spared (/ˈspɛɹd/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14695, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scored is recorded at frequency rank #2,365, classified as averb, pronounced /skɔː(ɹ)d/. spared is at rank #12,330, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈspɛɹd/.
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 14695, this pair ranks #468,502 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of scored vs spared
Shared letters: ders. Private to "scored": co. Private to "spared": ap.
"scored" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "spared" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "scored" and "spared" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "scored" vs "spared" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "scored" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "spared" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #468,502 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scored" and "spared" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "snares vs spared". 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 #468,502 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.