Which to use
“sumo” is a noun and “sup” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #26,985
- “sumo” frequency rank
- #13,818
- “sup” frequency rank
- 40803
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sumo | sup |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | To sip; to take a small amount of food or drink into the mouth, especially with a spoon. |
Where the eye mixes sumo and sup
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses sumo with sup
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sumo is /ˈsuːməʊ/ while sup is /sʌp/. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40803, 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/. sup is at rank #13,818, tagged as averb, pronounced /sʌp/.
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 40803, this pair ranks #264,253 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sumo vs sup
Shared letters: su. Private to "sumo": mo. Private to "sup": p.
"sumo" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "sup" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- sumo ← smuo · ssumo · summo · suom · usmo
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sumo" and "sup" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "sumo" vs "sup" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "sumo" and "sup" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sumo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sup" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #264,253 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sumo" and "sup" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sumo vs sura". 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 #264,253 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.