Which to use
“state” and “statute” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #163
- “state” frequency rank
- #9,257
- “statute” frequency rank
- 9420
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | state | statute |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A condition; a set of circumstances applying at any given time. | A written law or ordinance passed by a legislative body. |
Where the eye mixes state and statute
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: state vs statute
A purely visual mix-up. state (/steɪt/) and statute (/ˈstatjuːt/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9420, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
state is recorded at frequency rank #163, classified as anoun, pronounced /steɪt/. statute is at rank #9,257, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈstatjuːt/.
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 9420, this pair ranks #497,481 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of state vs statute
Shared letters: aest. Private to "state": -. Private to "statute": u.
"state" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "statute" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "state" and "statute" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "state" vs "statute" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "state" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "statute" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #497,481 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "state" and "statute" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "statuette vs statute". 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 #497,481 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.