Which to use
“server” is a noun and “severe” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,259
- “server” frequency rank
- #2,701
- “severe” frequency rank
- 5960
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | server | severe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A program that provides services to other programs or devices, either in the same computer or over a computer network. | Very bad or intense. |
Where the eye mixes server and severe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses server with severe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: server is /ˈsɜːvə/ while severe is /sɪˈvɪə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5960, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
server is recorded at frequency rank #3,259, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsɜːvə/. severe is at rank #2,701, tagged as anadj, pronounced /sɪˈvɪə/.
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 5960, this pair ranks #513,351 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of server vs severe
Shared letters: ersv. Private to "server": -. Private to "severe": -.
"server" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "severe" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "server" and "severe" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "server" vs "severe" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "server" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "severe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #513,351 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "server" and "severe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Seager vs server". 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 #513,351 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.