Which to use
“startle” is a verb and “state” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #42,422
- “startle” frequency rank
- #163
- “state” frequency rank
- 42585
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | startle | state |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start. | A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time. |
Where the eye mixes startle and state
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: startle vs state
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: startle is /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/ while state is /steɪt/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42585, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
startle is recorded at frequency rank #42,422, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/. state is at rank #163, tagged as anoun, pronounced /steɪt/.
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 42585, this pair ranks #247,840 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of startle vs state
Shared letters: aest. Private to "startle": lr. Private to "state": -.
"startle" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV · "state" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "startle" and "state" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "startle" or "state"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "startle" and "state" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "startle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "state" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #247,840 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "startle" and "state" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "starkly vs startle". 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 #247,840 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.