Which to use
“sumo” and “sump” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #26,985
- “sumo” frequency rank
- #41,400
- “sump” frequency rank
- 68385
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sumo | sump |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A stylised Japanese form of wrestling in which a wrestler loses if he is forced from the ring, or if any part of his body except the soles of his feet touches the ground. | A hollow or pit into which liquid drains, such as a cesspool, cesspit or sink. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sumo and sump apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. sumo (/ˈsuːməʊ/) and sump (/sʌmp/) 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 a single letter - o in “sumo” becomes p in “sump”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 68385, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sumo is recorded at frequency rank #26,985, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈsuːməʊ/. sump is at rank #41,400, tagged as anoun, pronounced /sʌmp/.
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 68385, this pair ranks #59,099 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sumo vs sump
Shared letters: msu. Private to "sumo": o. Private to "sump": p.
"sumo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "sump" · 4 letters · shape CVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sumo" and "sump" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sumo" or "sump"?
Remembering sumo vs sump
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sumo” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable