statvsstatesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: stat is a adverb, states is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“stat” is an adverb and “states” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,748
“stat” frequency rank
#282
“states” frequency rank
8030
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stat states
Definition Immediately; now. plural of state

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stat and states apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
stat
6 ch
states

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

stat and states 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) - “stat” sits inside “states” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8030, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stat is recorded at frequency rank #7,748, classified as anadv, pronounced /stæt/. states is at rank #282, tagged as anoun, pronounced /steɪts/.

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 8030, this pair ranks #504,432 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

stat#7,748
states#282

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stat" and "states" be used interchangeably?
No, "stat" and "states" 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 stat vs states

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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