# terrorism vs terrorist

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### terrorism
*noun · IPA /ˈtɛɹəɹɪzəm/ · frequency rank #4,805*
The system of fear and intimidation put into place during the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France around 1793-94.

### terrorist
*noun · IPA /ˈtɛɹəɹɪst/ · frequency rank #3,987*
A person, group, or organization that uses violent action, or the threat of violent action, to further political goals.

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