Which to use
“sewer” and “skewer” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,324
- “sewer” frequency rank
- #43,374
- “skewer” frequency rank
- 55698
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sewer | skewer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A pipe or channel, or system of pipes or channels, used to remove human waste and to provide drainage. | A long pin, normally made of metal or wood, used to secure food during cooking. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sewer and skewer apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
sewer and skewer 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 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55698, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sewer is recorded at frequency rank #12,324, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈs(j)uːə/. skewer is at rank #43,374, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈskjuː.ə/.
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 55698, this pair ranks #131,686 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sewer" and "skewer" be used interchangeably?
Remembering sewer vs skewer
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 “sewer” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable