syncvssyncedWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sync is a noun, synced is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sync” is a noun and “synced” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#8,868
“sync” frequency rank
#33,444
“synced” frequency rank
42312
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sync synced
Definition Clipping of synchronization or synchrony. simple past and past participle of sync

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sync and synced apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
sync
6 ch
synced

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

sync and synced form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “sync” sits inside “synced” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42312, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sync is recorded at frequency rank #8,868, classified as anoun, pronounced /sɪŋk/. synced is at rank #33,444, tagged as averb, pronounced /sɪŋkt/.

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 42312, this pair ranks #250,390 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Frequency comparison

sync#8,868
synced#33,444

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sync" and "synced" be used interchangeably?
No, "sync" and "synced" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering sync vs synced

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “sync”; for a verb, it's “synced”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sync” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list