Which to use
“stated” is a verb and “stilted” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,880
- “stated” frequency rank
- #49,652
- “stilted” frequency rank
- 51532
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stated | stilted |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | simple past and past participle of state | Making use of or possessing a stilt or stilts, or things resembling stilts; raised on stilts. |
Where the eye mixes stated and stilted
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses stated with stilted
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stated is /ˈsteɪtɪd/ while stilted is /ˈstɪltɪd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51532, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stated is recorded at frequency rank #1,880, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈsteɪtɪd/. stilted is at rank #49,652, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈstɪltɪd/.
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 51532, this pair ranks #164,678 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of stated vs stilted
Shared letters: dest. Private to "stated": a. Private to "stilted": il.
"stated" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "stilted" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stated" for "stilted" ever safe?
Frequency check: "stated" vs "stilted" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "stated" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stilted" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #164,678 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stated" and "stilted" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "skirted vs stilted". 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 #164,678 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.