Which to use
“statistic” and “stylistic” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,137
- “statistic” frequency rank
- #24,329
- “stylistic” frequency rank
- 40466
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | statistic | stylistic |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Alternative form of statistical. | Of or pertaining to style, especially to linguistic or literary style. |
Where the eye mixes statistic and stylistic
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. statistic and stylistic follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses statistic with stylistic
A purely visual mix-up. statistic (/stəˈtɪs.tɪk/) and stylistic (/staɪˈlɪstɪk/) 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 40466, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
statistic is recorded at frequency rank #16,137, classified as anadj, pronounced /stəˈtɪs.tɪk/. stylistic is at rank #24,329, tagged as anadj, pronounced /staɪˈlɪstɪk/.
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 40466, this pair ranks #267,342 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of statistic vs stylistic
Shared letters: cist. Private to "statistic": a. Private to "stylistic": ly.
"statistic" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC · "stylistic" · 9 letters · shape CCVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "statistic" for "stylistic" ever safe?
Which is more common, "statistic" or "stylistic"?
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 "statistic" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stylistic" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #267,342 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "statistic" and "stylistic" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "statist vs statistic". 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 #267,342 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.