Which to use
“sell” and “sold” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,128
- “sell” frequency rank
- #1,150
- “sold” frequency rank
- 2278
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sell | sold |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money. | simple past and past participle of sell |
Where the eye mixes sell and sold
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. sell (/sɛl/) and sold (/səʊld/) 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 2278, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sell is recorded at frequency rank #1,128, classified as averb, pronounced /sɛl/. sold is at rank #1,150, tagged as averb, pronounced /səʊld/.
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 2278, this pair ranks #525,390 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sell vs sold
Shared letters: ls. Private to "sell": e. Private to "sold": do.
"sell" · 4 letters · shape CVCC · "sold" · 4 letters · shape CVCC