Which to use
“spring” and “strung” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,286
- “spring” frequency rank
- #19,478
- “strung” frequency rank
- 20764
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | spring | strung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To move or burst forth. | simple past and past participle of string |
Where the eye mixes spring and strung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between spring and strung
A purely visual mix-up. spring (/ˈspɹɪŋ/) and strung (/stɹʌŋ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20764, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
spring is recorded at frequency rank #1,286, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈspɹɪŋ/. strung is at rank #19,478, tagged as averb, pronounced /stɹʌŋ/.
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 20764, this pair ranks #428,834 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of spring vs strung
Shared letters: gnrs. Private to "spring": ip. Private to "strung": tu.
"spring" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "strung" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "spring" and "strung" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "spring" vs "strung" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "spring" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "strung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #428,834 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "spring" and "strung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "slung vs strung". 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 #428,834 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.