# swab vs sweat

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### swab
*noun · IPA /swɒb/ · frequency rank #35,972*
A small piece of soft, absorbent material, such as gauze, used to clean wounds, apply medicine, or take samples of body fluids. Often attached to a stick or wire to aid access.

### sweat
*noun · IPA /swɛt/ · frequency rank #5,739*
Fluid that exits the body through pores in the skin usually due to physical stress and/or high temperature for the purpose of regulating body temperature and removing certain compounds from the circulation.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/swab-vs-sweat