slashvsslashedWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: slash is a noun, slashed is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“slash” is a noun and “slashed” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#12,142
“slash” frequency rank
#23,103
“slashed” frequency rank
35245
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature slash slashed
Definition A slashing action or motion: simple past and past participle of slash

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
slash
7 ch
slashed

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

slash and slashed 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 2 extra letter(s) - “slash” sits inside “slashed” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

slash is recorded at frequency rank #12,142, classified as anoun, pronounced /slaʃ/. slashed is at rank #23,103, tagged as averb, pronounced /slæʃt/.

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 35245, this pair ranks #313,612 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

slash#12,142
slashed#23,103

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "slash" and "slashed" be used interchangeably?
No, "slash" and "slashed" 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 slash vs slashed

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “slash”; for a verb, it's “slashed”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “slash” 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