searedvssharedWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“seared” and “shared” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#33,840
“seared” frequency rank
#2,128
“shared” frequency rank
35968
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature seared shared
Definition blackened by heat; scorched; burned Used by multiple entities or for multiple purposes or in multiple ways.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set seared and shared apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
seared
6 ch
shared

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

seared and shared form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - e in “seared” becomes h in “shared” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35968, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

seared is recorded at frequency rank #33,840, classified as anadj. shared is at rank #2,128, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ʃɛːd/.

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 35968, this pair ranks #307,364 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

seared#33,840
shared#2,128

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "seared" and "shared" be used interchangeably?
No, "seared" and "shared" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering seared vs shared

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “seared” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list