# spare vs sparse

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### spare
*adjective · IPA /spɛə(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #4,490*
Extra.

### sparse
*adjective · IPA /spɑːs/ · frequency rank #18,193*
Having widely spaced intervals.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/spare-vs-sparse