Which to use
“sone” is a noun and “sown” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,495
- “sone” frequency rank
- #30,976
- “sown” frequency rank
- 79471
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sone | sown |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | a subjective unit of loudness for an average listener equal to the loudness of a 1000-hertz sound that has an intensity 40 decibels above the listener's own threshold of hearing | past participle of sow |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sone and sown apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: sone and sown carry the same recorded pronunciation, /soʊn/. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is anoun, the other averb, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 79471, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sone is recorded at frequency rank #48,495, classified as anoun, pronounced /soʊn/. sown is at rank #30,976, tagged as averb, pronounced /soʊn/.
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 79471, this pair ranks #21,980 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sone vs sown
Shared letters: nos. Private to "sone": e. Private to "sown": w.
"sone" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "sown" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sone" and "sown" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sone" or "sown"?
Remembering sone vs sown
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “sone”; for a verb, it's “sown”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sone” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable